Germany can't really be doing this...
That is, forcing women to take jobs as sex workers, or face losing their unemployment benefits while Germany has an unemployment rate of well over 10%...
A provision in the German welfare system is forcing out-of-work women to chose between taking jobs in the sex industry or losing their unemployment benefits. Once one of the most generous systems in Europe, Germany's unemployment program has been reformed to require those out of work to take jobs for which they are qualified, or lose benefits. In the case of women, females below the age of 55 who have been out of work for a year or more must take any available job offered.
One 25-year-old waitress, an unemployed information technology professional, had indicated a willingness to work in a bar at night and had past experience working in a cafe. A potential employer, finding her profile promising, contacted the job center about hiring her. Only after the young woman called to inquire about the job did she learn the employer was a brothel. When she refused the position, she was threatened with cuts to her unemployment benefits.
Centers that do not penalize job seekers who refuse offered positions are subject to lawsuits by the employers. "There is now nothing in the law to stop women from being sent into the sex industry," says Merchthild Garweg, a Hamburg lawyer. "The new regulations say that working in the sex industry is not immoral any more, and so jobs cannot be turned down without a risk to benefits.
I was originally thinking this had to be some kind of hoax. However, apparently the story originated with The Telegraph, which is a pretty large and well known UK newspaper. It's not even as though I'm against prostitution... it's just, damn. WTF.
I'm in disbelief that something like this could even get that far. I've checked snopes and a few other rumor-busting sites and so far have found no entries. Anyone?
Posted by drunkenbatmanJanuary 31, 2005, at 11:13 AM
Comments (10)
Posted by: Chucky at January 31, 2005 11:55 AM
"It's strange how such an amazingly liberal system could screw up so royally."
All complex systems screw up royally all the time.
That's why they have to be constantly tinkered with around the edges to keep them working properly.
Posted by: flynn at January 31, 2005 12:25 PM
Sorry to be that frank, but the story seems to be utter bullshit. The whole thing originated back in december when German newspaper "taz" published an article that speculated what might be possible with the new reformed welfare system. That article however contained several statements by authorities that something like that would not be reasonable.
Last week some halfwit read that article and posted a lurid news item at "Shortnews" a community-driven post-your-own-news site, famous for its inaccuracy.
It's beyond my insight how the Telegraph got into this thing and who added the "25-year-old waitress" to the story, but my feeling is that someone forgot to do some fact checking...
Posted by: ssp at January 31, 2005 01:33 PM
I failed to notice this story in the press (but I'm not the most avid reader of those sections anyway). The story that 'flynn' points out is the closest I could find for that topic.
In a way you'll have to admit that it's a beautifully consequent thing. I'm pretty sure that while you can be forced to work in a brothel, this will be for serving drinks or cleaning at worst. While working in such an environment may be offensive to some, it seems pretty difficult to draw a line. If it's not okay to force a woman to serve drinks in a brothel, can you then force a vegetarian to clean at McDonalds? Can you force a muslim or jew to slaughter porks? Can you force a sane person to peddle Windows computers?
I think there'll be many jobs that people are able to do physically but may have objections to doing. I can see how the law has to be strict to achieve its goal of getting people to work, even if they don't want to. I can also see it going wrong here or there due to the size of the problem. But I'm pretty sure that the people working at job agencies will in the vast majority of cases try to come up with an alternate solution in such cases.
The other thing involved, legalising prostitution, is another good thing by itself, so you wouldn't want to drop that either.
There may be many problems with the recent changes in welfare laws but this is probably one of the smallest.
P.S. While I don't think The Telegraph plays in the same league as The Sun (which, incidentally is also "large and well known" ;), they are very conservative (and hence, I suppose anti-Europe) and will surely enjoy such stories.
Posted by: Matt Wilson at January 31, 2005 05:38 PM
Well, if they are like New Zealand where prostitution has been legalised, theoretically there's no distinction between the sex trade and any other industry -- people want it recognised as a "valid" vocation, these are the consequences.
Posted by: Patrick Lemmens at January 31, 2005 07:28 PM
Of course the article is nonsense!
I am sure there is an law making it unlawful to coerse someone into prostitution against their will.
Posted by: Sunny at January 31, 2005 08:51 PM
This is very much on the same line (not to the full extent) of Bill Clinton's plan to shrink the welfare rolls. Push single mom's into work by threating to kill benefits if not. I would recommend Christopher Hitchens "No one left to lie to" for folks wishing to explore this.
Yes, very shameful indeed.
Posted by: IXLNXS at February 2, 2005 11:59 PM
The Jerry Springer of uneployment laws. "We know you could be selling your ass to make a living". A sick side of me applauds this move. I know it's wrong but I giggle.
Posted by: Jon H at February 4, 2005 04:18 PM
Sounds like an "unintended consequence".
However, I must say it wouldn't be a big improvement if the employer were someone like Amway or Primerica, or some other multi-level scam.
Wouldn't that suck? Herbalife calls to recruit you, and you HAVE to join up, including an up-front expenditure to buy a bunch of bogus herbal crap you have to sell in order to make any money.
I'm surprised they haven't jumped on it.
Posted by: Phillip Blanchard at February 6, 2005 07:52 PM
Snopes knocked this story down fairly convincingly.
http://www.snopes.com/media/notnews/brothel.asp
Yup, it's for real. It's strange how such an amazingly liberal system could screw up so royally.