Prostitution | Good French ideas

France has adopted an anti-prostitution plan in view of the Paris Olympic Games. A few days before the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix, which each year brings back the debate on prostitution, our columnist spoke with the French Minister Delegate in charge of Equality between Women and Men, Aurore Bergé. She found some good ideas in French law that should inspire us.

In 2016, France adopted an abolitionist law that penalizes clients of prostitution and recognizes sex workers as victims.

“The 2016 law clearly stated that our vision was abolitionist, that there was no inevitability that women’s bodies – because they are mainly women – would be at the disposal of men,” specifies Minister Aurore Bergé, who spoke (virtually) last Sunday as part of the “fourth world congress to end the sexual exploitation of women and girls” which was held in Montreal.

From the start of our telephone interview, the French minister wishes to question the word “client”.

“The term is not always very well chosen,” she emphasizes. Associations in France speak more of a prostitute, which, in my opinion, better reflects the impact that these men who purchase sexual acts have on women, on their lives and on their bodies. »

These “prostitutes” therefore risk a fine of up to 1,500 euros (3,000 in the event of a repeat offense) and a prison sentence if the person involved in prostitution is a minor.

Help to get out of it

What I find particularly interesting in the French approach is that we don’t just punish. We offer a program that supports those who wish to leave the world of prostitution.

“We are the only ones in the world to have created a dedicated allowance to help people in prostitution get out of it, what we call “journey out of prostitution”, explains the minister. Clearly, this means that, in each department, there are associations approved by the State which present the files of people who wish to be supported. It is global support, that is to say social, medical and financial. When there is no more income, they must be able to live or survive in a transitional manner before we can support them, including for professional reintegration. »

“For people in an irregular situation,” adds Aurore Bergé, “this can also lead to regularization of their situation and their residence permits. »

Since the establishment of this support program in 2021, around 1,000 people have benefited from it each year.

As for the “prostitutes”, more than 2,000 people were brought to justice in 2023 and, of this number, there were around 1,200 convictions for pimping.

A moral panic, really?

The abolitionist approach is not unanimous among sex workers. We could see this last Saturday, on Place Émilie-Gamelin, when 150 people participated in the Survivors’ March “to put an end to the prostitution system” at the same time as a smaller group demanded the decriminalization of sex work. Two well-intentioned groups, two ways of seeing things…

The group of Montreal sex workers believes that it is an exaggeration to say that sex work and human trafficking increase in the run-up to major sporting events.

I haven’t read all the studies cited by anti-abolitionists over the years, but I do remember that in 2013, a report from The Press had drawn attention to a terrible phenomenon: as the Grand Prix approached, the staff of youth centers in the Montreal region anticipated an increase in young girls running away. The pimps were recruiting to “meet the demand”…

I do not agree with those who speak of “moral panic” when we sound the alarm as the Grand Prix approaches. We can defend the rights of sex workers while wanting to protect vulnerable people, particularly young people. Personally, I see in abolitionist laws a desire to give the tools to those who wish to escape.

On the other hand, I agree with sex workers who say that the more their activities are stigmatized, the more they will tend to hide, which makes them even more vulnerable.

I also recognize that the word “victim” is controversial. When we talk about minors, yes, we are talking about victims. But there are women who practice this profession with full knowledge of the facts. These women do not see themselves as victims.

Aurore Bergé says she is very aware of the criticism of the French abolitionist approach. “The vision we have in our country – even if I know it can be debated in others – is to consider people in prostitution as victims first and foremost,” she says. . Each time, there is a variable that is always there, whatever the age or situation of the person: vulnerability and economic, social and/or psychological precariousness. We are talking about life paths that have been disrupted, of people who, in childhood, experienced sexual violence. »

“There is always a vulnerability which leads people to enter the prostitution system,” continues the minister. This vulnerability can also be statutory, for example, when the person is in an irregular situation on French territory. It’s the starting point. »

Defend values

If you visit one of the French Olympic sites this summer, there is a chance that your gaze will come across the major poster campaign in which hoteliers and transporters are participating “who have agreed on a voluntary and very voluntary basis to work with us, which was not obvious,” explains Aurore Bergé, who presented her anti-prostitution strategy to the French last March. The idea is not to “spoil the party”, adds the minister, but to take advantage of the Paris Olympic Games to promote values ​​dear to France such as equality between the sexes or gay rights, still violated in several states.

In Montreal, this week, you may see one of the messages from the “Too big a price for women and girls” campaign which is being deployed on digital bus shelters and social networks in the run-up to the Grand Prix. You may come across an awareness kiosk in a Longueuil or Laval metro station. I find that this campaign has its reason for being.

But I would like us to go further and take inspiration from France to develop support programs for those who want to get out of it. Concrete actions rather than flying words.

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