Leaders of the Young Union and the Jusos are openly supporting a tightening of sexual criminal law. The proposal is to replace the current “No means No” model, which has been in effect since the 2016 reform, with a new “Only Yes means Yes” model.
Johannes Winkel, chairman of the Young Union, stated to ntv on Monday: “I am totally open to any suggestion that helps women.” Jusos leader Philipp Türmer compared Germany to other nations, noting that this legal standard is already in place in many European countries. He stressed that Germany could achieve this and found it embarrassing that the country consistently lags behind in these issues.
Under the proposed “Only Yes means Yes” model, the absence of a voluntary and recognizable consent to a sexual act would become a central criterion for the act’s criminality. Currently, sexual acts are fundamentally punished when they are committed against the discernible will of a person.
