Overview
- A ten-year review finds limited impact, with only 1,442 client fines in 2025 and enforcement varying widely by region.
- Police data show 704 minors identified as victims in 2025, a 43% rise in four years that the equality minister called alarming.
- Abolitionist advocates report arrests, network busts, and exits from prostitution but say the law lacks resources, while Médecins du Monde and Strass call it counter-productive.
- A legal gap online persists because sexual content sales without physical contact are not classed as prostitution, and the Senate has proposed a new offense for online sexual exploitation.
- The 2016 framework ended the solicitation offense, fined buyers €1,500 to €3,750 with possible awareness courses, and set up an exit pathway with a €559 monthly stipend.