In a significant legal shift, customers of businesses known to exploit workers could also face criminal liability going forward as Germany strengthens its human trafficking protections.
The federal cabinet recently approved a package to reform Germany's human trafficking laws, in a move aimed at helping police authorities identify more cases where foreign workers are being exploited.
Specifically the reform means that customers of businesses that traffic workers could face criminal liability too.
For years, customer liability in trafficking cases was limited to one context: paying for sex with an exploited worker.
This proposal would change that, by including sectors like construction, slaughterhouses, restaurants and nail salons, all industries that rely heavily on immigrant labour where exploitation is known to be easily hidden.
