Munich says decision on expanding exit help for sex workers unlikely before 2028

Munich City Council will not decide on expanding programmes to help people leave prostitution until 2028 at the earliest, the city's social services department has said. Its head, Dorothee Schiwy, was replying to a motion of 26 February 2026 from councillors Sonja Haider and Tobias Ruff of the ÖDP/München-Liste group, which called for exit programmes and existing support services to be strengthened.

Schiwy said the city remains committed to improving the situation of women and everyone working in prostitution, together with existing support organisations. Since 2017, Munich has applied the Prostitute Protection Act through cooperation between its social services, district administration and health departments and the relevant counselling services. However, she said plans at federal and Bavarian state level could affect how further help is designed. An expert commission has been reviewing the findings of an evaluation of the act since November 2025 and is due to present legal and non-legal proposals by mid-2027. The way Bavaria applies the Violence Assistance Act will also affect funding for support services, and responsibility for funding counselling on forced prostitution is expected to pass to the state, although the effect on local authorities remains unclear.

Under an earlier council decision, the social services department must report back to the city council in the first quarter of 2028 on the situation, developments and current needs in this area, taking account of federal and state decisions. The department said that, in principle, services that improve the situation of people in prostitution and sex work deserve support.

The city's office for LGBTIQ* equality warned that expanded exit services must not steer people who want to leave, or who need help, into new dependencies or force them into new ties. It said this risk must be feared with services run by Christian fundamentalist or other fundamentalist associations, and that professional social work standards must be upheld.

The city's equality office for women backed that view. It said prostitution in Munich remains at a consistently high level, with women making up more than 90 per cent of those involved and trans people around 5 per cent. Many sex workers are affected by poverty, precarious living conditions, exclusion and stigma, and are regarded as especially vulnerable under the Istanbul Convention. The office said support must follow professional social work standards and aim at independence, autonomy and self-determination, without the risk of people seeking help falling into new dependency or exploitation.