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Germany Forms Expert Panel to Strengthen Protections for People in Prostitution

The panel is tasked with proposing concrete measures against trafficking and violence within a year.

Overview

  • The commission, launched by Family Minister Karin Prien, has begun work to develop legal and non‑legal steps for federal, state and local authorities.
  • Twelve experts from fields including law enforcement, social work, health and platform regulation serve on the body, which is chaired by jurist Tillmann Bartsch.
  • Initial legislative proposals are due within 12 months, with additional recommendations expected within 18 months.
  • The move follows a June review that identified serious weaknesses in the 2017 Prostitutionsschutzgesetz, as official data list about 32,300 registered sex workers though the true number is believed higher.
  • Sex worker groups criticized the absence of current sex workers on the panel, while senior CDU figures Julia Klöckner and Nina Warken advocate a sex‑purchase ban and observers warn that the shift to online platforms impedes enforcement and heightens risks for minors.