Prostitution in the times of COVID-19—findings from an empirical study

During the coronavirus pandemic, prostitution was subject to considerable restrictions. The practice of prostitution, being inherently associated with physical closeness, was at times completely forbidden and at other times only permitted with considerable restrictions; prostitution establishments were sometimes not allowed to open at all, and sometimes only under strict criteria. This contributed to the fact that discussion about the situation of people involved in prostitution became increasingly the focus of medial and political debates. Pertinent articles repeatedly reported on the increasingly precarious position of prostitutes. However, a systematic scientific appraisal of the situation of prostitutes during the coronavirus pandemic has been lacking until now. The Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony (KFN) addressed this topic in an explorative study carried out in 2021. It examined how the coronavirus pandemic and, in particular, the restrictions in the prostitution industry associated with it, had affected the life situations of people working in the industry. A written survey was conducted among a total of 63 specialist counselling centres for prostitution workers as well as a total of four expert interviews with employees of these centres. This revealed, first and foremost, that despite coronavirus-related bans in Germany, prostitution continued, albeit at a reduced level. The reasons given were mostly financial plight as well as a lack of alternatives on the part of prostitution workers. Ultimately, it has emerged that people working in prostitution increasingly reported violent incidents and increased dependency during the pandemic.