The Scelles Foundation celebrates with all the abolitionists the final adoption of the french law against the prostitution system

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Published on Thursday, 07 April 2016 07:59

France has adopted national landmark legislation under the impetus of the constant work by committed parliament members and 60 militant NGOs of the collective Abolition2012. Almost 70 years since the Marthe Richard law closed the brothels, France finally adopts a comprehensive law strengthening the fight against the prostitution system and the support of prostituted persons.

France is thus the fourth European country after Sweden, Norway and Iceland to reverse the criminal charge that no longer targets prostituted persons but sex-buyers. This abolitionist impulse is a decisive step towards harmonization of European legislation according to the UN Convention of 2 December 1949.

Beyond its symbolic and major option, the law aims to reduce prostitution through a range of measures in order to protect prostituted persons, to increase pressure on pimps and traffickers, to help change attitudes on this exploitation which is an obstacle to equality between women and men.

This law will allow to :
- Assure victims of pimping and human trafficking greater physical and psychological protection and a better access to financial compensation
- Repeal all forms of criminalization of prostituted persons by deleting the offense of soliciting,
- Set up a way out of prostitution policy aiming to offer real alternatives for people seeking to leave prostitution,
- Reinforce the fight against pimping, procuring and trafficking on the Internet
- Prohibit the purchase of sex acts,
- Establish a policy of education and prevention of prostitution establishing the principle of no comodification of human body.

The Scelles Foundation welcomes this great victory. We bet that our founder Jean Scelles for whom "the client is the one that creates prostitution and all traffic that it involves" would have applauded this great abolitionist project, embodied at last.

The Foundation will continue to monitor the law inforcement procedures. We already invite parliament members and each of us to provide the adequat means to turn each proposed measure into a tangible reality.