“It is the whole of society which must become aware of the reality of this phenomenon”Adrien Taquet, Secretary of State for Children and Families, declared on franceinfo Monday, November 15, while a first national plan to fight against child prostitution of 14 million euros has just been announced by the government.
“The first virtue of this plan is that collectively, public authorities, justice, social workers, society, become aware of this phenomenon and are able to detect weak signals”, he explained. The Secretary of State insists on raising the awareness of children at school on these questions of commodification of the body, but also of parents, “everyone must be able to have the tools to better identify and better support.”
The training of all professionals in contact with children is the other priority pointed out by Adrien Taquet, “the educational community, but also social workers, the police, the gendarmerie, hotel professionals, everyone must be able to spot suspicious behavior.”
This plan provides for setting up emergency reception and accommodation in all departments but also to strengthen controls on the internet, because “The connection between victims and clients is facilitated by the internet.” Adrien Taquet underlines the establishment of “digital maraudes” during which social workers come into contact with young people in fragile situations, but also the strengthening of “cyber patrols” with specialized police officers.
For Adrien Taquet, this investment of 14 million euros “over the first nine months” will have to be continued, but “For the first time, we have the feeling that this subject is being tackled less late than other emerging issues and we must invest heavily to protect our children.”