THE PROSTITUTION LAW IS ALREADY A YEAR OLD

Published on Friday, 07 April 2017 11:08

Today the Fondation Scelles celebrates the 1^st anniversary of the law reinforcing the fight against the prostitution system, adopted by the National Assembly after a two-year-long combat. Although it is too early to measure the law’s efficiency, achievements can already be observed. The law is being implemented at an unusual speed, thanks to the government’s willingness and the associations’ mobilization under the 2012 Abolition banner.

They predicted a failure, a useless law, an unenforceable law…one year later, facts show the opposite:

-  Four implemented decrees (out of the five expected ones) from four different government departments and two circulars have been published.

- Since the enactment of the law, no prostituted person has been arrested for questioning on the grounds of soliciting, an offense which has finally been abrogated.

- Of the 937 clients who were arrested for questioning: most of them admitted the facts and were fined between 150 and 500 Euros.

- Following the Paris, Fontainebleau and Narbonne prosecutors, an increasing number of judges are getting involved in the implementation of the law’s penal aspect.

- The periods for making convicted clients more responsible are being organized. The first one took place in Essonne March 31; with others to be scheduled in the future. The Fondation Scelles in collaboration with the APCARS (Association for Applied Criminal Policy and Social Reinsertion) are preparing an awareness module for clients, set to be operational by June.

- The route out of prostitution is also in place, as the first departmental commissions, whose mission is to coordinate action for the victims of prostitution, procuring and human trafficking, will sit in a few days.

Read also :

>>> Interview of Guillaume Lescaux, the first prosecutor to apply the new law on prostitution

There is still a lot of work to be done. However, the work cannot be accomplished unless significant funds are granted for developing the periods for clients’ accountability, in order to create effective alternatives and raise public awareness.

On March 13, the Minister for Family, Children and Women’s Rights, Laurence Rossignol, commented on the CSW 61, during a conference organized by Fondation Scelles, stating: “The enactment of such an abolitionist law represents a historical moment. Within the French society, it has truly changed the way prostitution is perceived (…) The French Republic, which holds the legacy of the Enlightenment philosophers and is always eager to defend human dignity anywhere and everywhere it can, has expressed unequivocally its absolute commitment to recognize prostituted women and girls as victims in need of protection, and not as delinquents who should be criminally prosecuted…”.

A lire aussi :

>>> The speech by Laurence Rossignol, the Minister for Family, Children and Women’s Rights during the conference Discussion on Strategies to Address Prostitution & Sex Trafficking, organized by Fondation Scelles, CATW international, and SPACE International, in New York, on March 13 2017

The historical dimension of the law marked by its inversed perspective (the purchase is forbidden and the prostituted persons are protected as victims) is not yet clearly perceived by a great part of the society. In order to clearly convey the law’s message, deep educational and prevention work is needed, which could take several months or even years to achieve. For example. Sweden, a pioneer in this field, had to wait for ten years before conducting a global assessment of the consequences of its law and of the public’s support. Despite some public disagreement and impatience, it will also take France time.

The Fondation Scelles, together with all the associations in the 2012 Abolition coalition, will continue to support this ambitious law, as it has always done with the same tenacity, in the face of the attacks and threats which will cause likely political changes in the upcoming weeks.

To learn more:

>>> French Law on Prostitution : A New Model of Combat against the Prostitution System

>>> « Un an après, une loi qui devient réalité », by the 62 associations of the 2012 Abolition coalition