You can find out more at: General employment law. Ever since then, you have had a legal right to your wages as a sex worker. These wages can no longer be denied you on the basis that prostitution is a violation of moral principles.
You can also conclude an employment contract which gives you access to the social insurance system: Social insurance. Under that law, you have to register your activities with the authorities. If you want to know how registration works in Schleswig-Holstein, click here: Registration and health consultation in SH. Prostitution is a sexual service provided in exchange for money between people aged 18 and over.
What is important is that everyone involved offers or receives the service under their own free will. In other words, prostitution is sex in exchange for money usually and is always voluntary. If you are working in prostitution against your will, and somebody else is forcing you to do it, then that it is a criminal offence, even if it is your spouse or partner who is doing it. You can report the person who is forcing you to the police. Nothing will happen to you, since prostitution is legal here.
Both terms are common. It is impossible to say that one is better or more correct than the other. It may be that some people quickly associate negative things in their minds with the word prostitution. But every person has to decide for themselves which word they feel most comfortable with. Some people find it suits them to call themselves prostitutes, while others prefer to call themselves sex workers. Both are okay. There is no one simple answer to that, since there are legal implications. In Schleswig-Holstein, for instance, that applies in Neumünster.
The Exclusion Zone Rule states where you may and may not work. Usually, working is not allowed in the city centre or near churches or schools. Prostitution may be entirely forbidden in some small towns and rural areas. If you come from a non-EU country, you will first have to check whether your residency status permits you to work either for yourself or for others in Germany: Residency and work.
