Germany's Cabinet approved a dangerous new law requiring sex workers to register with the federal government. The bill also mandates the use of condoms, adds new restrictions for brothels and requires official permits for operators, who will be screened
for certain convictions. Those who have a history of fraud, blackmail or smuggling won't be able to qualify for permits.
Sex workers, with the proposed bill, also must receive health advice at least every two years, and brothel operators will be forbidden from giving them orders on the the nature and scale of sexual services.
The bill will now more to the German parliament for consideration. It is scheduled to become law in 2017.
Hydra e.V. , Germany's first sex workers' association said:
It would minimize our already scarce chances of finding another job, if we want, or drive us into illegality if we chose not to register for these very reasons. Moreover, we are sure that enforced counselling and registration would not present us with
the perfect environment for reporting situations of abuse or exploitation. Finally, the legal enforcement of a practice within the realm of sex, however advisable, would affect our right to sexual self-determination over our own bodies.
Although not in force yet, we have noticed a growing panic around this threatening new law. Many are unsure of its precise stipulations and are scared of its consequences, the group said. The vast majority of us refuse the mere idea of ever getting
registered. Sex workers are getting more and more suspicious of authorities and institutions, insecure about their future livelihood, and angry.
Our conviction is that sex workers know best what would improve their lives.
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The Italian city of Salerno is introducing a repressive anti-vice law making it illegal to even look like a prostitute in public. The new rules mean women wearing skimpy skirts, high heels or acting flirtatiously could be fined £400.
