European rights court upholds French law penalising clients of sex workers

euronews (in English)

According to rights group Amnesty International, Thursday's ECHR's ruling was a missed opportunity to better protect sex workers from abuse and violence.

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00:00The European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, has ruled that the French law criminalizing

00:06clients of sex workers does not infringe on the European Convention on Human Rights.

00:11The ruling on Thursday comes in a case referred by 261 sex workers who denounced the impact

00:18of a 2016 French law.

00:20The law replaced the crime of solicitation with that of penalizing clients.

00:25It also threatens buyers of sex with fines of up to €1,500, which can be doubled for

00:32repeat offenders.

00:34Opponents say the law has pushed sex workers underground and exposed them to greater risk.

00:41According to rights group Amnesty International, Thursday's ECHR's ruling was a missed opportunity

00:47to better protect sex workers from abuse and violence.

00:52With the Olympic Games and the influx of tourists, French authorities fear an increase

00:57in prostitution in France.

00:59Measures have, however, been taken to raise public and tourist awareness.

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