clients

The French parliament on Tuesday voted in favour of legislation that will make it a criminal offence to pay for sex, punishable by fines.

The National Assembly approved the legislation to punish sex clients while removing punishment for soliciting, but it will now return to Senate.

Under new proposal - which has to be approved by MPs - prostitutes would continue to face fines and jail but customers would not be prosecuted.

Rosen Hicher is angry that draft law to fine men up to €1,500 for paying for sex was shelved by a French Senate committee in July.

MPs voted 268 to 138 in favour of law that imposes fines for anyone who buys a sexual act but bill must still pass the Senate before coming into force.

Two socialist MPs have attracted all-party support for a new bill which would criminalise the clients of prostitutes, earning them a fine. Yet behind the apparent consensus, Mediapart has discovered that there is far from unanimity on the proposed law even within the ruling party. A number of senior socialist MPs point out that many respected non-governmental organisations fear the change would make life less safe for prostitutes. Others say it will make the party look too 'moralising'. And as Mathieu Magnaudeix reports, it is also not clear whether the prime minister or the president fully support what could become a controversial measure.

The French parliament is to debate abolishing prostitution through a crackdown which would criminalise payment for sex.