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| Europe |
| 'If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits' |
| 2005-01-30 |
| A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing "sexual services'' at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year. Prostitution was legalised in Germany just over two years ago and brothel owners — who must pay tax and employee health insurance — were granted access to official databases of jobseekers. The waitress ... received a letter from the job centre telling her that an employer was interested in her "profile" and that she should ring them. Only on doing so did the woman, who has not been identified for legal reasons, realise that she was calling a brothel. Under Germany's welfare reforms, any woman under 55 who has been out of work for more than a year can be forced to take an available job — including in the sex industry — or lose her unemployment benefit. Last month German unemployment rose for the 11th consecutive month to 4.5 million, taking the number out of work to its highest since reunification in 1990. The government had considered making brothels an exception on moral grounds, but decided that it would be too difficult to distinguish them from bars!. As a result, job centres must treat employers looking for a prostitute in the same way as those looking for a dental nurse. [Hamburg lawyer Merchthild] Garweg believes that pressure on job centres to meet employment targets will soon result in them using their powers to cut the benefits of women who refuse jobs providing sexual services. "They are already prepared to push women into jobs related to sexual services, but which don't count as prostitution," she said. "Now that prostitution is no longer considered by the law to be immoral, there is really nothing but the goodwill of the job centres to stop them from pushing women into jobs they don't want to do." |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #12 I can see the unemployment clerk: "We have good news and bad news. The good news is that you will be able to stay in welfare. The bad news is that the brothel refused to hire you because you were too ugly." |
| Posted by: jackal 2005-01-30 9:52:13 PM |
| #11 Thanks TGA. Dress code :) |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-01-30 1:15:59 PM |
| #10 Most of the article is speculation and nonsense. Since prostitution is legal (under certain circumstances), the job center could technically offer that "job", but only with the consent of the unemployed. German law stipulates that nobody can be forced or coerced into providing sexual services (which not only includes prostitution, but table dance, stripping and the like). So the job agency cannot threaten benefit cuts because this would violate the law. A cleaning job in a legal brothel or serving drinks without sexual services would be acceptable though. There might be a grey zone concerning the dress code maybe. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-01-30 12:10:26 PM |
| #9 Out of work guys might think this is a great idea, but they better remember there are gay brothels in Germany too. |
| Posted by: Ernst Rolm 2005-01-30 11:17:37 AM |
| #8 Hope Prof. Reynolds takes note of this when he argues that it shouldn't be criminalized. The theory of libertarianism and the reality of the messy world collide. Of course we'll hear that ", but in a truely libertarian environment..." Act and Consequence in the real world. |
| Posted by: Crereper Thomble7321 2005-01-30 10:40:26 AM |
| #7 "Now that prostitution is no longer considered by the law to be immoral, there is really nothing but the goodwill of the job centres to stop them from pushing women into jobs they don’t want to do." Ah, the joys of socialism: where "On your knees, bitch!" becomes state policy. Feh. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2005-01-30 10:16:09 AM |
| #6 Gotta be funning us. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-01-30 9:31:51 AM |
| #5 Hmmm.... sex slavery. Didn't the germans try this once before? |
| Posted by: Mark E. 2005-01-30 9:08:41 AM |
| #4 Great! So the employment centers will become a new pimp. "Go fuck someones, or you can go fuck yourself! Insane does not even describe it. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-01-30 8:51:46 AM |
| #3 Here we see illustrated the socially-enlightened compassion of the European Way. |
| Posted by: Mike 2005-01-30 8:39:56 AM |
| #2 The government had considered making brothels an exception on moral grounds, but decided that it would be too difficult to distinguish them from bars! Going out for a drink with the guys in Germany must be a lot of fun. job centres must treat employers looking for a prostitute in the same way as those looking for a dental nurse. On the other hand getting it on with a hooker could be painful. Those Germans are really into pain. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-01-30 8:37:00 AM |
| #1 This has got to be a joke. Not even a Euro bureaucracy can be that insane. |
| Posted by: HV 2005-01-30 8:34:18 AM |