The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) was honored to join 800 abolitionist advocates and survivors from around the world in Paris, France from April 12 to 14 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the French Abolitionist Law. The international convening was organized by the Coalition Against Prostitution International (CAP Intl), in partnership with Le Mouvement du Nid and the Fondation Scelles, to mark the law’s decade of combatting the system of prostitution, sexual exploitation, while supporting survivors and advancing equality. The three-day event began with a World Survivors March led by with survivors from 12 countries with support from French and international feminist abolitionist NGOs, trade unions, and parliamentarians. The event continued with a daylong conference, Abolition in Action, in the French Parliament and concluded with EXIT, an event dedicated to highlighting pathways out of prostitution.
France’s Abolitionist Law – in other parts of the world known as the Nordic Model, the Equality Model, or Survivor Model – is the world’s most comprehensive legal framework that rejects the notion of prostitution as a form of labor and offers exit pathways and services to sex trade survivors. Specifically, the French law addresses the following:
- Services: The Exit Pathway out of Prostitution law allows victims of prostitution to benefit from access to accommodation, temporary residence permits, a monthly financial allowance of 637€, and support for professional integration for a period of six months, renewable up to a maximum of 24 months
- Prohibition against pimping: Pimping is punishable by seven years imprisonment and a 150,000€ fine
- Targeting demand: The act of patronizing (sex buying) is punishable by a 1,500€ fine, 3,750€ for repeated offense, and 75,000€ fine and 5 years imprisonment in aggravating circumstances
With rigorous implementation and dedicated support, the law has had significant impact in France. Since the law went into effect in 2016:
- 2,102 survivors have accessed or received support through exit programs, 90% are currently employed, 100% have accommodation
- 65 organized crime networks dismantled, 1,029 pimping convictions, 14.7€ seized from prostitution rings
- 76% on French public consider prostitution as a form of violence
- 92% have a positive view of the law
[Source: The Situation of Prostitution in France 9 Years After the Adoption of the Abolitionist Model, CAP International]
The success of France’s law provides inspiration for all of us, in every corner of the world, who dream of and work towards a world where no woman or girl is bought and sold on any marketplace, online and off.
