Overview
- A legal opinion and Europe-wide survey find Germany uniquely limits an explicit ban on sexual harassment to the workplace, whereas all 18 responding countries prohibit it in general civil law and often in goods, services, healthcare, housing and education.
- Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Ferda Ataman calls for reform of the General Equal Treatment Act to extend protections to settings such as housing, fitness studios and driving schools.
- The Justice Ministry acknowledges partial legislative need and says it is examining options, noting that some conduct exploiting power imbalances can already be criminal.
- An EU law adopted in 2024 requires member states to criminalize digital abuses such as cyber-harassment and non-consensual intimate images, with national transposition due by June 2027.
- Current gaps leave victims outside employment with limited recourse, while several European peers have criminalized catcalling or tightened online harassment laws, including France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland and Malta.