German Catholic Women's Association does not condemn but appreciates prostitution

Translation of a position paper on their website

Sex work and prostitution are a social phenomenon that particularly affects women: over 90 percent of those involved in prostitution are female. Therefore, the kfd as a women's association is challenged to deal with the issue.

Passionately believe and live

"The kfd understands sexuality as a life force created by God and as a gift." (from the kfd position paper "Women's lives are diverse!", 2022)

People are free to decide about their own bodies and activities as long as they respect the boundaries of their fellow human beings. The right of self-determination of women* is also linked to this. For the kfd it is therefore non-negotiable.

The kfd firmly rejects the use of violence or coercion in any form, also in the context of sex work and prostitution. In the area of legal sex work and prostitution, however, we repeatedly encounter grey areas that need to be identified.

The kfd does not condemn, but appreciates women who - for whatever reason - see sex work and prostitution as a way of earning money.

The legal situation in Germany

In 2002, the Prostitution Act (ProstG) was an attempt to give prostitution a firm legal framework. The immorality requirement was abolished. Since then, prostitution is considered a recognised gainful activity and sex workers and prostitutes can register as self-employed, take out social insurance and sue for their wages. The Prostitution Act (ProstG) was intended to eliminate the negative side effects of sex work and prostitution, the exertion of coercion on prostitutes and their being forced into illegality. With the introduction of the Prostitution Protection Act (ProstSchG) in 2017, the Prostitution Act (ProstG) was replaced and a more comprehensive regulation of services and framework conditions in the field of sex work and prostitution was undertaken.

Problem

The discussion of sex work and prostitution is made difficult by the undeveloped factual situation. There are hardly any well-founded statistical data on sex work and prostitution in Germany. Reliable figures on how many sex workers and prostitutes there are in Germany do not exist. There are various estimates that attempt to depict the numbers of people engaged in sex work and prostitution.

The Prostitution Protection Act aims to remedy this situation, but implementation is slow and there are still major hurdles to registering sex workers and prostitutes.

From the kfd's point of view, there is a lot of need for action to improve the situation of people in sex work and prostitution. The measures are controversial.

The diverse opinions on sex work and prostitution can also be explained by the fact that the actors have different insights into sex work and prostitution and pursue different goals.

At the same time, the various actors also have common demands, such as non-discrimination and destigmatisation of women involved in sex work and prostitution, as well as better funding of exit and counselling programmes to support and accompany women.

Discussion within the kfd

Since 2018, the kfd has been intensively discussing at the federal level how the situation of sex workers and prostitutes in Germany can be improved. In June 2023, the Federal Assembly of the kfd Federal Association adopted the position paper "No to violence! - Yes to self-determination! The kfd thus distinguishes between self-determined sex work and prostitution offered out of social, psychological and economic hardship.

"The kfd resolutely opposes all forms of violence, be it sexualised, physical, psychological, spiritual and beyond that also any form of abuse of power." (from the kfd position paper "Women's lives are diverse!", 2022) The kfd makes this clear again and again both internally and externally. It firmly rejects the use of violence or coercion in any form, also in the context of sex work and prostitution.

In its position paper adopted in 2023, the kfd reaffirms its stance of actively opposing human trafficking and forced prostitution. Human trafficking is a complex, multi-dimensional criminal offence, regulated by section 232 of the Criminal Code. It constitutes a serious violation of human rights in all its forms. Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of forced prostitution is punishable, as is trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation, begging, criminal activities or unlawful removal of organs.

The kfd calls for an independent research programme for more dark field studies to identify blind spots in the area of sex work.