Those in favour of the so-called Nordic model, which provides for the punishment of clients and the closure of brothels, see it as the most effective means of combating human trafficking and forced prostitution. Opponents believe that if this model is applied in Germany, even more prostitutes will drift into illegality. According to the model first introduced in Sweden, the purchase of sexual services is illegal, while the sale of sex remains unpunished. Prostitutes receive help to build a new livelihood.
This model has also been practised in France since 2016. Claire Quidet from the Nid movement, which looks after prostitutes in France, said in her statement to the committee: ‘Our organisation is well aware that some people are demanding their right to work in prostitution.’ However, the question must be asked as to whether we really want to live in a society in which ‘the sexuality of men continues to define the framework’. Psychotherapist Brigitte Schmid-Hagenmeyer, who was also invited as an expert witness, referred to the enormous extent of violence in prostitution. The probability of developing post-traumatic stress disorder is more than twice as high for prostitutes as for victims of war. The police chief of Duisburg, Alexander Dierselhuis, assumes that ‘the fight against red-light crime would be much more successful with a ban on buying sex than has been the case to date’.
The Neustart association, which offers support to women in prostitution in Berlin, is also in favour of the ‘Nordic model’. It summarises that the Prostitutes Protection Act, which came into force in 2017, has failed to achieve its goal of protecting women from exploitation, violence and pimping. The German Association of Cities and the Police Union are opposed to the Union’s motion. Berlin lawyer Margarete Gräfin von Galen considers a ban on buying sex to be unconstitutional. She writes: ‘If there are abuses, the federal states must provide more resources for the enforcement of existing laws.’
