Legal Situation: Prostitution is legal but
doesn't have the status of an ordinary profession (health care,
unemployment benefits, collective bargaining etc). Prostitutes do have
to pay taxes though. Communities can forbid prostitution in certain
areas and at certain times of the day.
Pimping and promoting
prostitution are illegal (the latter law has occasionally been applied
against owners of very luxurious brothels).
Prostitutes have to
be registered with health authorities (although many, especially the
foreigners and those high in the hierarchy, aren't) and get regular,
free and mandatory health checks, which, except in Bavaria, don't
include HIV tests.
If a customer refuses to pay, the prostitute
can't sue, if a prostitute doesn't deliver, the customer can sue.
There are many foreign prostitutes working in Germany, from Thailand,
Africa and Eastern Europe. They are working illegally because they
cannot possibly have gotten a valid work permit. These rules are hardly ever
enforced, because no one has reason to complain.
The prostitute's organization HYDRA (Kantstrasse 54, 1000 Berlin 12)
is fighting against the stigmatization of prostitutes and for the
recognition of prostitution as a regular occupation. There's also an
organization of prostitutes' customers in Berlin called "Lust und
Prostitution".
The age of consent is 16. The notion of child porn is reserved for depictions of sexuals acts involving children under 14.
Special practica. S/M, zoophily and toilet sex are legal, selling and making of S/M and zoophily material is illegal.
There's a new law which allows prosecution of Germans who fuck children in other countries (i.e. South Asia).
Another new law (10/1/1993) makes the possession of child porn illegal. The possession of S/M or zoophily is still legal.
Finding prostitutes: Magazines with informations: "Happy Weekend" and "Aktueller Sex Führer" " contain many ads, the latter contains also customer reports and "Der Strich", "Liebe im Salon", "Stadtplan für Männer" try to describe the scene objectively. All are available in sex shops. Try to get the latest editions.
Keywords in local newspapers and the yellow pages: "Bars", "Nachtklubs" or "Hostessen".
Street prostitutes (and sex shops and clubs) can often be found near the railway stations. Every medium size city has at least one "Eros Center", a place where women rent a room, sit in the door or behind the window and try to get customers in. The service from call girls or in clubs is usually much better (and more expensive), however. A comprehensive list of these eros centers and other cheap german brothels is available, see below.
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