Online pimping, exploitation of minors, client sanctions… The government has unveiled its plan against prostitution

The executive says it wants to “strengthen” the application of the 2016 law on the penalization of clients and “better take into account new forms of prostitution”, particularly online.

On Thursday, May 2, the government unveiled a national strategy to combat prostitution. It is “strengthen and harmonize the application of the law throughout the territory and better take into account new forms of prostitution”declared the Minister responsible for Equality between women and men, Aurore Bergé. “I am thinking in particular of the rise of social networks and online platforms for booking accommodation”she added, without revealing the overall budget envelope of the plan.

The combat strategy provides for 25 measures, including the creation of a cyberinvestigation unit against online prostitution. This will be responsible for detecting “situations of sexual exploitation, to delete accounts, but also to dismantle networks and collect evidence to convict the pimps”.

The executive also wants “to strenghten” action against the sexual exploitation of minors, “particularly vulnerable in this context”. The number of minor prostitutes has doubled in recent years, so much so that they now represent nearly a third of the 40,000 prostitutes in France. A national network of dedicated reception centers will be set up to improve their care.

A campaign launched for the Paris Games

The government also promises to “rethink” the sanctions provided for by the 2016 law, which notably repealed the offense of soliciting and replaced it with the penalization of customers. The latter are liable to a fine of 1,500 euros (or even 3,750 euros in the event of a repeat offense), but the sanctions appear to be under-applied. The executive intends to take into account prostitution in private places, a blind spot in the current system.

The strategy provides for increased involvement of departmental commissions dedicated to the fight against prostitution and a strengthening of actions taken against “alleged massage parlors harboring prostitution”. An awareness campaign will also be launched as part of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, during which the authorities have indicated they expect an influx of clients of prostitutes.

Despite the widely shared observation of insufficient support for prostitutes wishing to exit, the executive has decided not to increase the amount of financial aid for social integration (Afis) intended for them. This allowance “remains at 342 euros per month, it’s outrageous”denounced several associations.