The new old European prostitution debate

German tabloid Bild Zeitung is running an article about a woman supplementing the infamous bare bones Hartz-IV social security payment by working in a bordello a few days a month.

This is but one of the many recent articles throughout the German media on a bitterly fought debate about changes to the prostitution laws in this country. While prostitution was made legal some ten years ago, a new debate has been started by various legal changes in other European countries where a reversal of policies has taken place. In Sweden, buying sex has been made illegal (offering it has not), and a similar statute change is under way in France.

So, Bild is, of course, using the opportunity to shed light on the normally under reported plight of folks on Hartz-IV by adding a photo of a not fully dressed lady.

To Bild's credit, they do not claim that the benefits are so inadequate that you cannot afford a full set of clothing.

As in France and Sweden, very real issues like human trafficking, rape, and violence are being mixed with plain moral views [all men are animals - which is technically correct] and legal arguments.

Even those politicians who want to (re-)criminalize prostitution do not plan to criminalize prostitutes, which shows that decades of research have made some impact. The people to be criminalized are the customers, which many German readers find offensive, "why punish one party and not the other" they complain.

Arguments for and against the business are so repetitive and well known that we won't bother with details.

We will instead focus on the inevitable rise of the snuggle industry in Europe (usually three to five years after a trend blooms in the U.S.), which means we have another two years to prepare for that debate. Right now, Europe is being introduced to the snuggle for cash concept through reports like this one about the Snuggle House in Madison, WI.

[Update 10/29/2015] BILD Zeitung seems to be doing a steady stream of stories on ladies who supplement basic means tested benefits with nudie work. We see frequent blips on Twitter.
The current German government has pushed a new law for the "protection of sex workers" with registration requirements that negate the "protection" aspect.