The bill puts the onus of prostitution on the client , and decriminalizes the act for prostitutes, making room for sex workers to seek out rehabilitation and alternative ways to make a living, according to France Those who buy sex will be punished with fines and compelled to attend classes to learn about the harmful effects prostitution has on sex workers, according to the Associated Press. For sex workers, 4. It will also offer a six-month residency permit for foreign sex workers, AFP reported.
Prostitution is currently legal in France, but brothels, pimping and the sale of sex by minors are illegal. The other issue, dissenters say, is that up to up to 80 percent of sex workers in France are foreigners. Further compounding the problem is the fact that the law could push prostitutes further out to the fringes of society, making them even more vulnerable to pimps and violent clients, the Associated Press noted. Olivier told the AP that foreign workers will be given proper identification if they commit to leaving the industry and noted that this is a critical first step, particularly for trafficking victims, whose papers are often confiscated by pimps.
Equality Now, a group that fights for the rights of women and girls, says that this model β- first adopted in Sweden in β- helps curb the demand for commercial sex, which fuels sex trafficking.
It also promotes equality between men and women, according to the group. And, from -- before the law was enacted -- until , the number of male sex buyers decreased from US Edition U.
News U. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Newsletters Coupons. Terms Privacy Policy. Part of HuffPost Impact. All rights reserved. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. Supporters of the bill hope to wipe out prostitution completely.
