According to official data alone, between 20,000 and 40,000 people are engaged in prostitution in France
The law "On Strengthening the Fight against the Prostitution System" was proposed by the head of the Socialist faction in the lower house of parliament, Bruno Le Roux, back in December 2013, but was blocked until now by conservatives in the Senate. And now the National Assembly, where the Socialists have a majority, finally voted for the law, which provides, firstly, a fine for the client of 1500 euros (if caught for the first time) and 3750 euros for each subsequent offense. In addition, after the second time, the client's name will be entered into the police database. Moreover, he will be required to attend classes during which he will be told about the "other side of prostitution".
Secondly, the law removes liability from prostitutes themselves for so-called "soliciting". Until now, according to the so-called "Internal Security Law" adopted in 2003, a prostitute faced a fine of the same 3750 euros – even if she was simply standing on the street.
Thirdly, the law includes measures aimed at helping a prostitute leave the profession. For this purpose, a temporary residence permit in the country for a period of 6 months is provided. The permit could have been issued before, but for that one had to "turn in" one's network. Now a residence permit will be given without any conditions. During the entire time this residence permit is valid, the state will pay a monthly allowance of about 400 euros to the person who has taken the "path of correction".
Fourthly, an administrative body will be created in each department of France to advise representatives of the profession and assist them in case of complaints. Until now, this was mainly done by non-governmental charitable foundations.
Fifthly, according to the law, internet providers will be required to block advertisements offering intimate services.
Many French media outlets call the law historic – because nothing more revolutionary has been done in this area in the country since 1946, when the ban on brothels came into effect. True, the "prostitution system" has not disappeared since then. It will not disappear even after the adoption of this law.
Moreover, the introduction of punishment for clients is unlikely to improve the lives of prostitutes. First, they will lose money. Second, as told to the newspaper "Le Monde" by Françoise Gil, a sociologist and author of the book "Prostitution: Fantasies and Reality", introducing punishment for clients will force many prostitutes who previously worked independently to turn to pimps. Because the client will look for an offer where he is less at risk of being fined. This means that after the law is passed, there will be fewer prostitutes on the streets and more in underground brothels, experts say. Those who do not want to go under the "wing" of pimps will have to seek out secluded spots far from the eyes of the police.
However, there are measures in the law that even its opponents supported. For example, the repeal of punishment for prostitutes, as well as assistance for people who want to leave the profession. The only problem is that almost no money is allocated for this: for example, this year the state has allocated 4.8 million euros for these purposes. According to experts, this assistance will be enough for a thousand people. And in France, according to official data, between 20,000 and 40,000 people are engaged in prostitution.
It comes down to one of two things: either the authorities have no funds to "fight prostitution", and 4.8 million is roughly all they can give, or they are essentially admitting that the law is being adopted simply to check the box under "good deeds".