Paying For Sex Is Now Against the Law In France

After a two year battle, MPs have passed a law that now outlaws paying for sex in France, with a penalty of almost €4,000 for offenders—but unlike legislation in other countries like the U.S., the “offenders,” in this case are clients, not sex workers.

The bill, which was approved on April 6, was not only divisive among government officials (mainly those who identified as conservatives), but within the sex worker community in France itself.
Those convicted would also have to attend classes to learn about the conditions faced by prostitutes.


Members of Strass, the French sex workers’ union, have deemed the bill “repressive,” according to France 24.
During the proceedings, roughly 60 protesters rallied outside France’s parliament building, wielding signs that proclaimed “prostitutes are angry,” “don’t touch our customers,” and “don’t liberate me, I’ll take care of myself.”

While many are up in arms over the new legislation, members of the French government have spoken in favor of it, lauding the regulations embedded within the new law as a way to combat human trafficking.