| A guidebook for prostitutes has been published in Germany At the insistence of the Ministry of the Interior, the controversial brochure “Women's Guide to Germany,” published by the German Society for Technical Cooperation (GOTS), an organization subordinate to the Federal Ministry for Assistance to Developing Countries, was removed from German stores. The purpose of the manual, in the preparation of which lawyers and social workers participated, is to tell “women who want to migrate from Ukraine” how to get a legal job in Germany - including as a prostitute. There was one significant caveat on this score: “This, however, unfortunately only applies to people who have the appropriate work permit and residence permit (for example, those who are married here).”
The expression “unfortunately” turned out to be fatal in the fate of the guidebook. It was over this that the current State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, August Hanning, who headed the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) stumbled when reading the text. He himself took up the pen and composed a formal reprimand to the guardians of the “horizontal craft,” as the Germans call prostitution.
As stated in the GOTS charter, this organization is designed to support “comprehensive reforms and processes of change in developing and restructuring countries.” At the same time, the activities of GOTS are aimed at “continually improving the living conditions and prospects of people.” However, in the brochure for foreign women, concern for people took a not entirely appropriate turn. “In effect, it encourages behavior that breaks the law,” writes an indignant Hanning.
Mention of illegal entry into Germany through the “green border” (that is, from Poland and the Czech Republic, where a weakened border patrol regime operates) is accompanied in the brochure by the remark that “many women do this.” The Secretary of State at the Ministry of Internal Affairs was amazed by the advice from the state authority on how to avoid meeting with the police in case of illegal stay in Germany. Mr Hanning writes: “If you do not have a residence permit, the authors of the brochure strongly advise against contacting the police for help. The brochure says: “If the police find out that you do not have legal documents, they will be forced to ensure that you leave the country.”
The dubious brochure was condemned for “lack of political instinct” by Christian Social Union domestic policy expert Hans Peter Uhl. He called it “instructions for illegal entry into the country, prostitution and human smuggling for Ukrainian women and Ukrainian traffickers in human goods.”
The topic raised has become particularly relevant as Germany prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in June. Security experts predict that 30,000 to 40,000 prostitutes from Eastern Europe will enter the country illegally during the event. This is along with half a million of our own, who are at least officially registered.
Recently, a conference of interior ministers of the federal states developed special measures to counter this social scourge. We are talking, however, only about illegal immigrants. The rest freely provide sexual services on the basis of a special federal law of 2002 allowing “private enterprise prostitution” but prohibiting pimping. In the latter case, there is a caveat: the priestess of love can work under an employment contract. But the “employer” (for example, the owner of a brothel) does not have the right to ask how, when and in what quantity the prostitute under his charge earns her hard bread. On average in Germany, the annual turnover of such an enterprise is 170 thousand euros. This industry contributes over a billion euros to the country's fiscal authorities. The earnings of a prostitute in Germany in statistical terms are comparable to the earnings of saleswomen - about 2 thousand euros per month without deducting taxes and social contributions.
As a possible method of localizing the rampant paid sex during the World Cup, at the conference of the heads of the land Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was proposed to install additional brothel premises in the form of temporary containers “for the purpose of meeting needs.” There is experience in operating such structures in Bavaria. Such sheds for pleasant meetings are installed, for example, during the traditional “October Day” in Munich. This was pointed out by Bavarian Interior Minister Günter Beckstein, noting that prostitution itself is not prohibited and always takes place during major international events. “The sex industry has prepared in advance for the World Cup,” said the Bavarian minister and pointedly stated: “The authorities are already noticing an increased number of prostitutes in brothels.” Yuri Shpakov, Berlin |
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