FRENCH COPS fear Olympic fans can order sex workers like a ‘takeaway’ despite sparking a crackdown on prostitution prior to the Games.
A shocking 40,000 individuals, mostly women, sell or are exploited for sex in France, reports say.
The French police have anticipated gangs promoting women from various places worldwide will continue to do so during the Games.
It’s also been speculated by cops that so-called ‘high-end’ sex work could rise due to the wealthy visitors expected to be in attendance at the Olympics.
But a special police division has been set up to limit illegal sex work, dubbed the ‘anti-pimping brigade’.
According to TMZ, checkpoints, road operations and other police tactics are targeting the Bois de Vincennes, Bois de Boulogne and Belleville areas of Paris and cut down on prostitution.
A surveillance group will also monitor night-time establishments such as cabarets.
And the City of Paris and Public Prosecutor’s Office have also been drafted in to help.
However, despite efforts, charities say prostitution isn’t like it used to, with their being a surge in online sex worker websites – which cops may struggle to crack down on.
Numerous sites online have opened a new door for sex workers, advertising a bizarre ‘online shopping’ situation where clients can order workers.
An anonymous French policewoman explained how it worked.
She said: “Clients go onto a website, tick a category, price and time.”
It’s been compared to ordering a takeaway food, “except it’s girls” that appear at the door.
A charity that protects vulnerable people through medical care named Medecins du Monde says it saw nearly 50,000 ads in a single evening on one sex website.
Through the charity’s ‘Jasmine’ project, since 2019 sex workers have reported tens of thousands of “dangerous” clients in a bid to protect others.
The news comes as a key ruling by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was issued last Thursday.
This said that France‘s criminalising of sex work clients does not fail to comply with the ECHR.
This was shamed by some groups who say that France’s policy increases the stigmatisation of sex workers.
Erin Kilbride, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, stressed why criminalising sex work is harmful to the community.
She said: “Criminalization increases physical attacks, sexual violence and police abuse of people who sell sex, while having no demonstrable effect on the eradication of human trafficking.”
2016 law
In 2016 a progressive law was proposed with the aim to shift power to sex workers over their clients.
It first repealed various laws like the 2003 ‘Sarkozy law’ that made it a criminal offence to “be present wearing revealing clothing at a location known to be used for prostitution.”
The 2016 law made it illegal to buy sex, but not illegal to sell or solicit it.
The intention was to remove fear of criminalising individuals selling sex to allow those who were vulnerable to get help.
This meant sex workers could have the freedom through law to leave exploitative or dangerous situations by being able to report a crime.
But this attracted backlash from sex workers, who say that criminalising the clients means they’re forced to work in more dangerous, hidden places.
On top of this, they say that continuing the ban on brothels means sex workers are forced to work alone, raising levels of risk.
What are the laws now?
Buying sex is illegal, punishable by a fine of up to €1,500 euros, rising to a whopping €3,750 for repeat offenders.
Clubs like fetish clubs and swingers clubs are legal.
Selling sex is legal, as is soliciting for sex, but owning or operating a brothel is still illegal.
Sex workers are required to pay tax on their earnings and make an annual tax declaration – just like any other job, The Local reports.
