How legalising prostitution has turned Germany into Europe's biggest brothel, swamped by Eastern European prostitutes

Germany's prostitution laws were relaxed by the government back in 2002 Now an estimated one million men pay for sex in the country each day A television document has claimed that Berlin is 'Europe's biggest brothel'
By Steve Nolan PUBLISHED: 18:21 GMT, 13 June 2013 | UPDATED: 08:32 GMT, 14 June 2013

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Documentary-makers in Germany have claimed that legalising prostitution has turned the country's capital Berlin into 'Europe's biggest brothel.' Sex trade laws were radically liberalised by the German government in 2002 but a documentary called Sex Made In Germany estimates that one million men pay for sex every day. The film was based on two years of research captured using hidden cameras and explores Berlin's world of 'flat-rate' brothels where customers pay 49 (42) for as much sex as they want.

Sex for sale: Around a million men are paying for sex every day in Germany according to a new television documentary. Hamburg's Reeperbahn red light district is pictured.

Laws were originally relaxed in the hope that they would offer a degree of protection to prostitutes who now have access to health insurance and benefits. But more than a decade on the changes in the law have brought criticism from those who claim that they have simply made it easier for traffickers to force foreign women into prostitution, according to The Guardian. It is thought that around two thirds of the country's 400,000 sex workers come from abroad. But according to figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) the number of reported cases of sexual trafficking in 2011 in Germany - 636 - were down by a third on a decade earlier. Red light districts have also become much more prominent in Germany's major cities - there are between 3,000 and 3,500 established brothels in Germany and the trade is now big business.

Big business: There are an estimated 400,000 sex workers in Germany and around two thirds of those are said to be from abroad

According to public services union Ver.di, some 14.5billion Euros is accrued by the sex trade in Germany annually. Roshan Heiler, head of counselling at the Aachen branch of women's rights organisation Solwodi, is unsurprised by the numbers of men paying for sex because it is so cheap and they won't get prosecuted. Defending the laws, Monika Lazar, of the Alliance 90/Greens party, told The Guardian: 'Prostitution is still socially stigmatized, but the law is helping to strengthen the position of prostitutes and ensuring women and men are better protected.'

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Comments (62)
Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all Britain needs to follow suit. - Jon , Leeeds, 14/6/2013 07:59 Click to rate Report abuse @styo: There is absolutely NO decline in rape in Germany. Rape has nothing to do with sex (but everything with domination), and 80 % of the victims know their rapist beforehand (for it is their father, uncle, teacher, date, etc.) - imho , London, 14/6/2013 07:14 Click to rate Report abuse Are these 1,000,000 married men? - Trustnobody , Landofthefreeloaders, United Kingdom, 14/6/2013 06:11 Click to rate Rating 66 Rating 114 Rating 108

Report abuse I would be interested to learn if the result of all these brothels is a lower rate of sex crimes than we have in Britain. Does anyone have any info on this? - Bob Scott , Sunny Surrey, 14/6/2013 05:07 Click to rate Report abuse So? - The Dude , London, 14/6/2013 03:43 Click to rate Report abuse Lets be thankful they are flocking to Germany for a change. - sallybc1965 , london, United Kingdom, 14/6/2013 02:16 Click to rate Report abuse Wow the pay!! - Far up North , Anchorage, 14/6/2013 02:06 Click to rate Report abuse Well, the fact that there are so many brothels highlights that maybe there is a need for it?! - China Girl , Beijing, China, 14/6/2013 02:01 Click to rate Report abuse 1 million men a day? I'm saddened there are one million every day who pay for a woman like that. I'd love to know the percentage of men as a whole or whether these are a small number of massive repeat custom. - Clearview , Chester, United Kingdom, 14/6/2013 01:43 Click to rate Report abuse What a good move Germany - I bet those in charge didn't see this coming - but I bet 99% of the population did . - Eric Grinham , Sydney, Australia, 14/6/2013 01:35 Click to rate Report abuse Share this comment The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Rating 80 Rating 47 Rating 74 Rating 18 Rating 118 Rating 18 Rating 59

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