Overview
- Senators approved a proposal led by Marie Mercier and Lauriane Josende creating the offense of “online sexual exploitation” aimed at managers and recruiters on platforms like OnlyFans, Mym and Sexemodel.
- The offense hinges on elements such as threats, coercion, violence or abuse of vulnerability rather than on the mere receipt of commissions by intermediaries.
- Penalties reach up to seven years in prison and a €150,000 fine, rising to ten years and €1.5 million when minors are involved, and up to twenty years and €4.5 million in cases involving acts of torture or barbarity.
- The shift away from penalizing buyers reflects Court of Cassation jurisprudence that excludes online exchanges without physical contact from the legal definition of prostitution.
- Platforms signaled cooperation and Mym welcomed the wording, while NGOs and some lawmakers called the measure ineffective; senators also backed a provision to penalize consumers only when they knew content was produced through exploitation, a threshold critics say will be hard to prove.