Overview
- Senior CDU politicians Julia Klöckner and Nina Warken called for adopting the Nordic model, which would criminalize buying sex and ban brothels while leaving sellers unpunished.
- No change to German law has been enacted, with the public push renewing a national argument over how to regulate or restrict the sex trade.
- Official Destatis figures list about 32,300 registered sex workers and 2,170 prostitution businesses at the end of 2024, far below advocacy estimates that include illegal activity.
- Supporters, including church-affiliated advocates, say the approach would better protect victims and cite research linking prostitution bans to lower recorded trafficking.
- Sex-worker groups counter that client bans increase risk by pushing work underground, pointing to experiences in France and Sweden and to cross-border demand flowing into Germany’s Saarland.