sex workers demonstrate for more protection
Demonstration against the sex worker protection law. ©Town Hall of Monterno
The “sex workers” demonstrated in Lyon on Wednesday April 13. They are asking for the repeal of the criminal law customers.
About thirty women of all ages, wearing a white mask and brandishing signs, demonstrated in front of the Hôtel de Ville in Lyon. A banner displayed under the windows of the town hall denounces the law of April 13, 2016 which provides for the penalization of clients of prostitutes: ”Always so many killed, assaulted, precarious” with an irony ”Happy birthday”.
Further on, a woman hangs a poster at the doors of the Opera, which faces the town hall. ”We denounce the lack of means made available to sex workers in the face of their clients, who are often violent” says a young woman who prefers to remain anonymous‘. On a law that’s supposed to protect prostitutes, but that’s going to suppress prostitution because the customers aren’t coming anymore.”
A law that changes things for prostituteands?
The law of April 13, 2016 aims to “strengthen the fight against the system of prostitution”.“Support for prostitutes”. But according to Caribia, association for the protection of prostitutes, the situation has not changed. ”We see a scarcity of clients and prostitutes are forced to hide to get clients because they are chased away by the police” explains Camille, a young activist.
According to Cabiria, the multiplication of municipal orders for the exclusion zone of prostitutes under the mandate of Gérard Collomb has made this profession and the workers even more precarious. ”We, on request, a suspension of the municipal decrees, and better training of the police to deal with the violence of the customers.
According to figures from the ministry responsible for gender equality, there are approximately 30,000 sex workers in France. 85% of them are French and 95% are foreign. There would be around 1,200 in Lyon according to the Cabiria association.