For International Women’s Day, Susanne Hierl, the CSU’s spokesperson on legal affairs for the parliamentary Union faction, reaffirmed her call for a sex‑purchase ban in Germany. Speaking to the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” she warned that “prostitution is largely marked by unsustainable conditions” and urged the country to adopt a ban on buying sex, arguing that allowing clients to evade punishment is the wrong approach. Other officials, including Bundestag President Julia Klöckner and Health Minister Nina Warken-both from the CDU-have also voiced support for such a ban.
Hierl highlighted that the aim is not to eradicate prostitution entirely but to assist women in leaving that life. She said, “We will probably never fully drive prostitution away, but we should support the women and give them exit options. They need to understand that they do not have to prostitute themselves and that there are alternative ways to earn a living”.
Her proposal aligns with the Nordic model, which criminalises the purchase of sexual services and the organised facilitation of prostitution while de‑criminalising the workers themselves and providing comprehensive support to help them build new livelihoods. Several European countries, as well as Canada and Israel, have adopted this framework. In contrast, the SPD rejects the model, which is why it is not included in Germany’s coalition agreement.