More prostitutes reported - Greens warn of unreported cases

The number of officially registered prostitutes has risen in Saxony in recent years. At the end of 2024, 988 prostitutes were registered with the authorities, according to an answer from the Ministry of Social Affairs to a question from Green Party member of the state parliament Katja Meier. According to the information, this was around 60 more than in 2023 (927) and around 120 more than in 2022 (869). Most sex workers were registered in Dresden (280) and Chemnitz (241), the fewest in Görlitz (2) and Zwickau (37).

Counselling centers record far more contacts

These are only the official registrations. The figures for the voluntary services offered by the two funded advice centers Leila and Daria are significantly higher. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, they recorded over 1,400 contacts in 2024 through digital "outreach work" alone. In addition, there were around 430 on-site consultations and around 450 street worker contacts.

"The discrepancy between the state government's official figures and the reality of the advice centers is worrying," said MP Meier. This shows that there is a considerable underreporting. According to Meier, the very low figures from Görlitz also suggest a massive deficit in recording.

Bureaucratic hurdles drive people into illegality

Meier also referred to an evaluation of the Prostitutes Protection Act at federal level. This clearly shows that many sex workers do not register for fear of stigmatization, data protection concerns or immigration law reasons. "In addition, there are bureaucratic hurdles that can drive people into illegality and thus increase their vulnerability," said Meier. More attention needs to be paid to the risk of migrating into illegality.

In accordance with the Prostitute Protection Act, sex workers have had to register since 2017 and complete a general information and counseling session. Regular health consultations are also mandatory. The law is intended to provide them with greater protection against exploitation and coercion.

In Saxony, prostitution is still prohibited in municipalities with up to 50,000 inhabitants. Registration is therefore only possible in Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz, Zwickau, Plauen and Görlitz.