German agency not required to post red light jobs
January 27, 2017
The state social court in Rhineland-Palatinate decided on Friday that Germany's Federal Employment Agency is not required to post jobs that come from the erotic or sex industry sector.
The agency runs a large online job portal that advertises job openings all over the country, but ran into legal problems after it removed job postings from a red light establishment in the city of Speyer.
The owner of the erotic business took her case to court after she said the agency deleted her account and advertisements for female bartenders and receptionists.
The court said in its decision that the agency was generally allowed to not post erotic-related open job positions on its platform based on the site's conditions of use.
The agency argued that the removals were carried out in order to protect youths and other users on its website.
"Even changes in society have not yet led to prostitution being regarded like any other profession," the decision read.
The case can still be challenged in Germany's Federal Social Court.
Prostitution has been legal in Germany since 2002, but social stigma still plagues sex workers.
Last year, Germany's upper house of parliament passed a new law to fight human trafficking and forced prostitution. Under the law, customers who knowingly used the services of forced prostitutescould be punished unless they report the matter to police.
rs/jm (dpa, epd)