France passes law making it illegal to pay for sex

The French lower house of parliament passed a prostitution law on Wednesday (April 6) imposing fines on clients, a shift to tougher rules which has split the country and angered some sex workers.

Lawmakers voted 64 in favour and 12 against to give France some of the most restrictive legislation on prostitution in Europe – a radical switch away from the nation’s traditionally tolerant attitude.

Those seeking to buy sex will now face a 1,500-euro fine, while the act of soliciting itself will no longer be punished.

Proponents of the reform point to rising human trafficking as a reason for tightening rules.

Some 90 percent of France’s estimated 20,000 to 40,000 sex workers are victims of Nigerian, Chinese and Romanian trafficking networks, the government says.

“We have decided to reinforce as much as we can the fight against human beings trafficking networks and against procurement and we have just decided to put prostitution customers in front of their responsibilities because without clients there is no prostitution, without clients there is no human trafficking,” said MP and member of conservative party Les Republicains, Guy Geoffroy.

Some feminist groups who have been pushing for an abolition of prostitution, said the law would help exploited women.

“Prostitutes will no longer be seen as criminals. When they are abused, they can file a complaint in a police station which they did not dare doing before. The power relationship with their clients will be completely different as they will be in a position of strength such as “I am not guilty, but you, what you’re doing is against the law,” said Claire Quidet a member of an anti-prostitution group “Le Nid”.

Among those critical of the law was Ornela, a sex worker who said that the law will rob her of her livelihood.

“Tomorrow we will be in total insecurity. We won’t be able to declare anymore what we earn, we won’t be able to pay our social taxes nor our bills. That’s the reason why we are angry: in a way the customer will be frustrated not to be able to come to us and we will be frustrated of not being able to work and send money to the state,” Ornela said.

The subject which divides opinion was described by one campaigner, Elisabeth Lansey, outside the National Assembly as a measure which will force prostitutes to hide away.

“If customers are penalized, they will be scared, the girls will have to hide in order to practice their trade — which is legal — and as the one who might get into legal trouble, the customer will be able to even more impose his choices, including unprotected sex,” a member of a charitable association, Elisabeth Lansey said.

Backed by the Socialist government, the legislation has languished in parliament for nearly two and a half years before being adopted on Wednesday.