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2mo ago

France Reasserts ‘Absolute’ Stance on Pimping Networks as 2016 Law Turns 10

The decade-old law shifted punishment from sellers to buyers.

[Telmo Pinto / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP]
Laurence Rossignol, alors ministre des Familles, de l'Enfance et des Droits des femmes lors du débat parlementaire sur la loi contre la prostitution à l'Assemblée nationale à Paris, le 6 avril 2016
Image
Manifestation organisée par des travailleuses du sexe à Paris le 17 décembre 2020

Overview

  • Aurore Bergé, who restated Friday that the state’s stance is “absolute,” spoke ahead of an interministerial meeting set for Monday.
  • Official data list 1,442 fines issued to clients in 2025, a low tally that points to weak use of the buyer-penalty tool.
  • The ministry reported more than 220 checks in 2025 and about twenty court cases opened against suspected pimping networks.
  • The government set 7.5 million euros for 2026 to fight prostitution, up from 3.3 million in 2019, according to the ministry.
  • Rising child prostitution and the growth of online sexual content sales strain the current law, prompting the Senate in February to propose a new crime of online sexual exploitation.