Sex workers in France are calling on supporters to protest against a recent bill passed in Parliament. The bill will make it illegal to pay for sex in the country.
The proponents of the new legislation believe it will protect sex workers by criminalizing those who pay for sex acts with women, France 24 reported. Spearheading the protests include the French Union Of Sex Workers. The union workers demonstrated outside the country's National Assembly building where the law was passed.
The new law will overturn a current ban on soliciting sex. In addition, it has been reported that the government will allocate more than $5 million per year to support sex workers looking to quit the field.
The bill which has taken two years to implement is being met with opposition by French advocacy groups, the news channel reported. The unions and other supportive lawmakers claimed that the government was upholding a "repressive" reform.
The unions and sex workers claimed the law did little to support them. They advocacy groups claimed the bill made them even more vulnerable, the channel reported. It added that according to current figures it is estimated that there are more than 30,000 sex workers in France.
The new piece of legislation according to The Guardian, will make France one of the few countries in Europe to follow the Nordic model of law. The model is in favour of criminalizing the consumer as a pose to the sex worker. Other countries which follow this model include Iceland and Norway.
The British publication reported that in 2015, Northern Ireland introduced a law where consumers could be convicted of paying for sex. The legislation makes Northern Ireland the only part of the United Kingdom that will convict an individual for soliciting sex.
Those who oppose the law across France and Europe claim that the new measures would drive sex workers further underground with little protection. However, media reports claim a crucial aspect of the bill is its ability to abolish a controversial 2003 law which banned passive soliciting on the streets.
French sex workers are seen protesting for their rights in 2013: