The ECHR validates French law on prostitution. A strong signal for Europe, a victory for all women!

European Court of Human Rights ©Guilhem Vellut

Press release from grassroots organisations working with thousands of people in prostitution in all countries, survivors of prostitution, French and European associations fighting male violence.

Following a complaint lodged in 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was called upon to rule on the criminalisation of the purchase of sexual acts, accused of “endangering the physical and psychological integrity and the health of persons in prostitution” and threatening “the right to respect to privacy of prostituted persons and their clients”. In its decision of 25 July, the ECHR unanimously rejected all of these complaints.

We, the grassroots organisations working with thousands of people in prostitution in all countries, survivors of prostitution, and organisations working to combat male violence, welcome this decision by the ECHR. It should be noted that this decision was taken unanimously and without ambiguity. The Court highlights the sustained and democratic nature of the legislative process for the 2016 law and recognises that penalising “clients” is inseparable from the law’s overall provisions. It also acknowledges that no one today has the capacity to establish that the law would have had a detrimental effect on prostituted persons, and points out that the law took extremely thorough account of the social and health situation of prostituted persons.

We state that the Abolitionist model is the approach that guarantees the best protection for all people in prostitution and provides access to their basic rights, first and foremost health. The 2016 law thus forms a coherent whole, providing support for people in prostitution (exit routes, protection measures), raising awareness among young people and tackling pimping and “demand“. Only by recognising prostitution as a form of violence can we provide effective support for people in prostitution. What prevents them from accessing their rights is not the law: it’s the lack of enforcement.

To improve access to rights and health care for prostituted persons, the law must be enforced more effectively throughout France.

We continue to call for the following measures to be put in place:

• Offering everyone an alternative to prostitution: Enabling all people in prostitution who wish so to leave prostitution (increasing the number of exit pathways and improving them by increasing the financial allowance and the duration of the residency permit during and after the exit pathway, and financial support).
• Initiate major national campaigns to change the way society looks at prostituted persons, with a specific focus on buyers of sexual acts;
• Put an end to impunity for buyers of sexual acts and pimps, including online;
• Generalise prevention to ensure a future without commodification for young people through the deployment of genuine sexuality education and the prevention and care of minors who are victims of sexual violence;
• Make a financial effort commensurate with the stakes, estimated at €2.4 billion over 10 years for France.

Media contacts and interview requests

Alice Rahmoun – Coalition for the Abolition of Prostitution (CAP International)
alice@cap-international.org

First Signatories

• European Women’s Lobby
• CAP International, France
• Bündis Nordisches Modell, Germany
• Amicale du Nid, France
• Stiftelsen 1000 Möjligheter, Sweden
• European Network of Migrant Women (EnOW)
• Space International, USA
• Equality Now
• Fondation Scelles, France
• European Women’s Lobby Bulgarian Platform, Bulgaria
• Bundesverband Nordisches Modell
• Ruhama (Ireland)
• Lobby Europeu De Dones (Catalunya, Spain)
• CATW Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (USA)
• Nordic Model Now! (UK)
• CFFB Conseil des Femmes francophones de Belgique (Belgique)
• Immigrant Council of Ireland
• CHILD10 , Sweden
• CLE La coordination française pour le Lobby européen ds Femmes (France)
• Comisión Para la Investigación de Malos Tratos A Mujeres (Spain)
• SISTERS (Germany)
• Verein feministischer Diskurs
• SOLWODI Solidarity with women in distress/Solidarität mit Frauen in Not
• Swedish Women’s Lobby (Sweden)
• DOFEMCO Docentes Feministas por la Coeducación
• Društvo za nenasilno komunikacijo (Slovenia)
• ENCOMPASS (Scotland)
• Afghan Woman ORG. (Afghanistan)
• AkiDwA Akina Dada wa Africa (Ireland)
• ASOCIM (Galicia, Spain
• AMECO, Spain
• Associazione Aura (Italy)
• Euromed Feminist Inititative
• Flora Tristan , France
• Forum Femmes Médierranée (France)
• GARENAK Emakume Feministak (Spain)
• Greek League For Women’s Rights (Greece)
• Haurralde Fundazioa
• HealthRight (Ukraine)
• Hungarian Women’s Lobby (Hungary)
• ICASM International Coalition for the abolition of Surrogate Motherhood
• IROKO (Italy)
• Isala (Belgique)
• International Centre on sexual exploitation
• KOPZI (Ukraine)
• Lobby Europeo de Mujeres en España (Spain)
• League LegaLife , France
• Libres MarianneS LMS
• CQFD Lesbiennes Féministes (France)
• Lietuvos Moteur Lobiniste organizacija
• La Ligue du Droit international des Femmes
• Maisha e.V. African Women in Germany
• Centrs Marta (Latvia)
• Mouvement du Nid, France
• Conseil National des Femmes du Luxembourg, Luxembourg
• Forum Politica Feministo Madrid , Spain
• Le Monde selon Les Femmes, France
• Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies
• Memoire Traumatique et Victimologie , France
• Mén non,
• Obreras Empowered, Cyprus
• FiLiA
• Weavers of Hope
• FDA Femmes pour le dire, Femmes pour agir, France
• FNCIDFF Fédération Nationale des CIDFF, France
• Solidarités Femmes, France
• Breaking Free
• Femmes Solidaires
• ECVF, France
• Collectif Féministe contre le Viol , France
• Réussir l’égalité Femmes-Hommes
• Osez le Féminisme
• ZÉROMACHO
• Regards de femmes
• Chiennes de garde
• Marche Mondiale des Femmes
• Maison des Femmes de Paris
• RADICAL Girlsss (young women’s group of EnoW)
• Alternative World
• Collectif Abolitionist Nantais
• Les Amazones
• Réseau Féministes Ruptures
• L’Assemblée des Femmes
• LEs Effronté.es
• Le CRI
• CIAMS Coalition Internationale pour l’Abolition de la Maternité de Substitution
• Collectif Droits des Femmes
• CNFF
• Collectif Abolition 34
• #CAPP
• Survivantes de la Prostitution
• Espace Simone de Beauvoir
• EVA Center, USA
• CLES
• Vancouver Rape Relief, Canada
• Maiti, Nepal
• Apneaap, India
• Talita, Sweden
• WOW
• O Ninho, Brasil
• Empodérame, Colombia
• Hamari Muskan, India
• EXIT
• Stígamót, Island
• Acción Contra la Trata, Spain
• Comisión contra la Trata, Spain
• KAFA Enough, Lebanon
• Democracy Developpement Klaipeda, Lithuania
• Comisión unidos vs trata, Spain
• People serving girls at risk, Malawi
• CGT, France