COPY LINK

POLITICS

Green MP: German state should provide prostitutes for the disabled

The suggestion that the state should fund 'sexual assistants' for the disabled has provoked fierce debate across the country.

Published: 9 January 2017 17:38 CET

Green MP: German state should provide prostitutes for the disabled

File photo: Jacobo Tarrío/Flickr Creative Commons

“Funding for sexual assistance is conceivable for me,” Elisabeth Scharfenberg, who is the spokesperson for the Green party's age and care policy, told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

“The local authorities could advise on the available options and provide grants.”

While controversial, the idea is not completely new. In the Netherlands, sexual assistance for disabled people – provided by sex workers with a special certification – has been available for some years.

Individuals can receive state grants to pay for the service if they can provide a medical note stating that they are unable to get sexual satisfaction in any other way, and to prove that they cannot afford to pay the costs themselves.

In Germany, a growing number of prostitutes are offering their services as sexual assistants in nursing homes, where the 'assistance' might consist of a massage, sexual touching or full intercourse.

However, because there is no official regulation over the job title, these sex workers may not be trained in dealing with people with special needs, such as dementia, physical or mental disabilities.

Scharfenberg's proposal was greeted with backlash from other politicians.

Karl Lauterbach, a Social Democrat (SPD) politician and professor of health economics, told several news publications that the idea behind the proposal was “outlandish”. The MP warned against “commercialization of this area” and added that there was no medical necessity for sexual assistance of this kind.

Instead, he said care home residents need more intimacy in their care, and noted that people living with disabilities have a “right to sexuality”.

And Scharfenberg's Green party colleague Boris Palmer, mayor of Tübingen, said in a Facebook post that the suggestion made the party seem like “crackpots”.

“Why do such adventures always come up in election years?” asked the politician, likening the proposal to suggestions of meat-free days and unisex toilets.

He said that he was looking forward to Monday's local council meeting, and was “quite sure” that no one in his city felt there was an urgent need for sexual assistance in nursing homes.

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Output is expected to expand 0.3 percent this year, the economy ministry said, up from a prediction of 0.2 percent in February.

The slightly rosier picture comes after improvements in key indicators — from factory output to business activity — boosted hopes a recovery may be getting under way.

The German economy shrank slightly last year, hit by soaring inflation, a manufacturing slowdown and weakness in trading partners, and has acted as a major drag on the 20-nation eurozone.

But releasing its latest projections, the economy ministry said in a statement there were growing indications of a “turning point”.

“Signs of an economic upturn have increased significantly, especially in recent weeks,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at a press conference.

The ministry also cut its forecast for inflation this year to 2.4 percent, from a previous prediction of 2.8 percent, and sees the figure falling below two percent next year.

“The fall in inflation will lead to consumer demand — people have more money in their wallets again, and will spend this money,” said Habeck.

“So purchasing power is increasing, real wages are rising and this will contribute to a domestic economic recovery.”

Energy prices — which surged after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — had also fallen and supply chain woes had eased, he added.

Several months ago there had been expectations of a strong rebound in 2024, with forecasts of growth above one percent, but these were dialled back at the start of the year as the economy continued to languish.

‘Germany has fallen behind’

But improving signs have fuelled hopes the lumbering economy — while not about to break into a sprint — may at least be getting back on its feet.

On Wednesday a closely-watched survey from the Ifo institute showed business sentiment rising for a third consecutive month in April, and more strongly than expected.

A key purchasing managers’ index survey this week showed that business activity in Germany had picked up.

And last week the central bank, the Bundesbank, forecast the economy would expand slightly in the first quarter, dodging a recession, after earlier predicting a contraction.

German Economics Minister Robert Habeck

Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) presents the latest economic forecasts at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday, April 24th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Kappeler

Despite the economy’s improving prospects, growth of 0.3 percent is still slower than other developed economies and below past rates, and officials fret it is unlikely to pick up fast in the years ahead.

Habeck has repeatedly stressed solutions are needed for deep-rooted problems facing Germany, from an ageing population to labour shortages and a transition towards greener industries that is moving too slowly.

“Germany has fallen behind other countries in terms of competitiveness,” he said. “We still have a lot to do — we have to roll up our sleeves.”

Already facing turbulence from pandemic-related supply chain woes, the German economy’s problems deepened dramatically when Russia invaded Ukraine and slashed supplies of gas, hitting the country’s crucial manufacturers hard.

While the energy shock has faded, continued weakness in trading partners such as China, widespread strikes in recent months and higher eurozone interest rates have all prolonged the pain.

The European Central Bank has signalled it could start cutting borrowing costs in June, which would boost the eurozone.

But Habeck stressed that care was still needed as, despite the expectations of imminent easing, “tight monetary policy has not yet been lifted.”

In addition, disagreements in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party ruling coalition are hindering efforts to reignite growth, critics say.

This week the pro-business FDP party, a coalition partner, faced an angry backlash from Scholz’s SPD when it presented a 12-point plan for an “economic turnaround”, including deep cuts to state benefits.

Christian Lindner, the fiscally hawkish FDP finance minister, welcomed signs of “stabilisation” in the economic forecasts but stressed that projected medium-term growth was “too low to sustainably finance our state”.

“There are no arguments for postponing the economic turnaround,” he added.