Overview

• Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said a dedicated criminal offense for verbal sexual harassment is conceivable and confirmed the ministry is assessing options under the coalition’s review mandate.
• SPD deputy Sonja Eichwede backs penalties, suggesting fines as a starting point, with the concrete legal design to be developed in the coming months.
• Current law typically requires physical contact for sexual harassment under §184i StGB, leaving many verbal acts only potentially prosecutable as insults that do not protect sexual self‑determination.
• Union lawmakers and some legal scholars caution that a new provision could be vague or hard to enforce, while other experts argue for clearer protection against serious verbal violations.
• Policymakers cite European precedents, notably the Netherlands’ 2024 law, and Hubig rejects the term “catcalling” as trivializing, preferring the legal framing of sexual harassment.