Sick prostitutes were usually assigned to care homes and closed hospital departments to treat the disease and try and change their lifestyle.
Forced examinations of (mainly female) guests of entertainment venues as well as employees of the state health authorities and the police were carried out to stem the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
An attempt was made to persuade prostitutes to take up a regular job through intimidation or instruction in "homes for social care".
After the Berlin wall was built in 1961, the authorities thought that total isolation from the West would cause prostitution to disappear.
[citation needed] From the late 1960s, the Ministry of State Security (Stasi) used both male and female prostitutes to gather information.
[1] The objectives were: The fact that prostitution was banned was exploited by state security to encourage women to work for them as informers.
However, prostitution was tolerated especially during the Leipzig Trade Fair,[3][2] in hotels used by foreigners (Interhotel) and the international seaports (in particular Rostock).
From the 1960s, women in the GDR were not entering prostitution out of economic necessity,[6] but motivation was rather the prospect of Westgeld (West German Marks), lust for sexuality or adventure.
[7] While payment was made in Westmark, their income far exceeded that of an employee and allowed the purchase of luxury goods from Intershop, Delikat and Exquisit shops.
[12] The total number of prostitutes and clients was significantly lower compared to the West Germany.