Sex Worker Forum-AT has submitted this shadow report to the Committee to End All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) sixty-sixth session on Germany. The shadow report specifically addresses how Germany’s new sex work legislation, known as the “Prostituiertenschutzgesetz” will hurt sex workers from a gender equality perspective. Germany’s new federal law will come into effect 1 July 2017. It has been criticised by NSWP member Hydra, including in their article in Research for Sex Work 14.
The shadow report specifically focuses on the harms of:
- Mandatory registration
- Compulsory counseling sessions as a condition of registering
- The requirement for self-employed sex workers to register private homes and apartments as brothels and comply with new health and safety standards
- Mandatory condom use
This document is a useful reference for sex workers combatting legal regulation of their work. In particular, it offers arguments against legal regulation tailored to a gender equality and womens’ rights perspective.
You can download this 4 page PDF above. This resource is available in English.