With the influx of visitors heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympics, French police are intensifying their crackdown on prostitution, with an anti-pimping brigade leading the charge.
The Press Office for the Police Prefecture tells TMZ that authorities are stepping up efforts to combat illegal sex work in the City of Lights. Checkpoints and road operations are being targeted to curb pimping activities in the Bois de Vincennes, Bois de Boulogne, and Belleville areas.
A specialized brigade known as the BRP has been formed, and their presence will be strongly felt in these areas. Additionally, a team is assigned to monitor night establishments, such as cabarets, to enforce anti-sex work laws.
The City of Paris and the Public Prosecutor's Office are collaborating in this crackdown, introducing prevention and awareness measures. While this increased police presence might bring relief to some residents and tourists, several nonprofit organizations have spoken out on behalf of sex workers ahead of the Olympics, criticizing the "repression first" approach for its detrimental impact on the health and safety of sex workers.
According to France 24, charity groups are urging authorities to focus less on targeting sex workers and more on dismantling the "criminal organizations which rob, rape, and assault them." These organizations argue that sex workers are not flocking to Paris for the Olympics due to the prohibitive cost of accommodations.
This update comes a year after activists opposed anti-prostitution efforts in France, warning that new measures could endanger sex workers. Despite France outlawing brothels in 1946 and making paying for sex illegal in 2016 to punish clients instead of workers, the increased pressure forces sex workers further into hiding, exacerbating their vulnerability.
The crackdown seems counterproductive, as it heightens the dangers faced by sex workers rather than ensuring their safety. The focus should shift towards protecting these individuals, respecting their rights, and addressing the real threats posed by criminal elements.