Abstract
The topic of the representation of sex work in Paris is contentious and sophisticated. Additionally, the subject has been approached from multiple angles, which illustrates its importance. However, many of the scholarly works available focus almost exclusively on the policy frameworks and interventions in a society whose government actively pursues an abolitionist approach. The representation of sex work in Paris can be deduced from some of these studies, as illustrated in this paper. Most importantly, the major themes have included social problems, women’s rights, national security, and sex/human trafficking. The policies and legislation will help explore the representation across all these themes.
Introduction
The representation of sex work in Paris can be considered one of the most complex issues whose solutions appear never to work. Many countries across the world have undertaken to control sex work hoping to achieve varied objectives. For instance, the emergence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) around the late 1980s meant that governments saw sex work as a risk factor for its spread, and it had to be curbed. Alternatively, sex work in Europe is largely conflated with human trafficking and exploitation, whose regulation is obligated by such bodies as the United Nations (UN). In Paris, it is almost impossible to discern how sex work is represented due to the many issues embedded into it. To many people, sex work is a social problem, a women’s rights issue, national security concern, or a victimization and exploitation of women. Repressive policies have existed in France for several decades, which only serves to further complicate the issue. The focus of this research paper is to explore the representation of sex work in Paris, paying attention to the many themes currently attached to the practice.
Construction of Sex Work as a Social Problem
Many countries in Europe and across the actively regulate sex work based on various perceptions. According to David (2019), the regulation of prostitution in France and the rest of Europe is simply a response to the social problem, which is how the sex trade is represented. Social problems involve those issues that tend to damage or disrupt society. For example, gender inequality is a social problem that causes different treatment of people based on their gender. Similarly, sex work is constructed as a social problem since it can cause such issues as the spread of sexually transmitted infections, human trafficking, and exploitation of women. The regulatory frameworks in France adopt the same view, which means that sex workers and people who facilitate it are considered part of the problem. The outcome of this conceptualization is that sex workers are socially isolated, which places their activities in jeopardy. The problems arise despite the act of selling sex is not prohibited in the country. The punitive measures are meted out to the clients themselves and individuals who rent out places for the sex trade or share the profits gained from the act.
From a moral perspective, sex workers have often been regarded as undesirable alongside homeless people and illegal street sellers. There is a moral distinction between women labeled as desirable feminine figures and sex workers (Lieber & Bail, 2021). The sex trade has attracted the attention of feminists who have attempted to address the question of whether sex workers can and should speak for themselves. The rationale for feminists to get involved is that, similarly to lesbians, queer persons, and bisexuals, sex workers are socially rejected and often exposed to multiple vulnerabilities. Aggression, including police violence, is a common occurrence in Paris, as illustrated by the case of Chinese sex workers asking for protection from both police violence and aggression. As such, sex work is a social problem that exposes women to danger from aggressive clients and organized crime.
One of the most interesting observations in this representation of sex work in Paris is that there is no legal ban on women selling sex. The law punishes the customers, which is seen as an effort to drive girls off the street. The peculiarity in this approach is that offering sex is not punished, which means that sex workers can operate in Paris. Property owners of premises where sex is offered are also subject to legal action alongside customers. The question that lingers is whether or not it would be better to place a ban on both ends of the problem. As a social problem, it can be argued that Paris is not doing enough to eliminate it. Different regimes have had different definitions of the problem and legal mechanisms. However, the issue will most likely persist if the root causes are not adequately addressed. Legalization in some countries, both in the media and politics, is taking place where sex work is considered work (David, 2019). The same cannot be said of Paris, where bans on purchasing sex are still enforced.
Human Exploitation and Trafficking Issue
Sex workers have a career full of risks and vulnerabilities potentially emanating from the informal nature of the practice. Such scholars as David (2019) express that prostitution is intolerable exploitation of women whose lower socioeconomic status leaves them with no choice but to engage in prostitution. In Paris, as is the case with many major cities across Europe, the streets are littered with women and young girls who are either homeless or extremely poor without a better economic activity. The people who solicit and pay for sex can be seen as using this condition to their advantage. Migrant women are also faced with the same challenge, especially considering that their status does not guarantee them employment or any form of protection from the harsh economic realities of Paris. Chinese sex workers attract more attention from both the media and academia due to their massive presence, the high number of violent reports, and the fact that they are outspoken when faced with aggression and violence. It is important to emphasize that many sex workers report cases of violence, and Chinese sex workers are used as an example to illustrate the key points.
Even though sex work in Paris is represented as human or sexual exploitation, the persistence of the practice could raise doubts about the correctness of this view. For example, some women engage in prostitution out of their own will and as an economic activity. In this case, it would not appear logical to call an economic activity where all parties have consented to a form of exploitation. The streets of Paris are characterized by women actively selling sex to willing customers. However, this may not be an ordinary free market where price mechanisms play out as they should, which means that it is difficult to establish who sets the prices for sex. The government has the responsibility to protect all people, including sex workers, as explained by Lieber and Bail (2021). This argument may explain why the legal frameworks tend to target customers as opposed to sex workers. Such an approach could significantly favor the institutionalization of prostitution in the country and place further barriers to its elimination.
Another aspect of representation focuses on human trafficking, especially where sex workers are forced into the trade without their consent. Sex trafficking can be described as the truest form of human exploitation in the context of this subject, which also rationalizes the French government’s approach to place punitive measures on the individuals seeking the services of sex workers. Human trafficking is a global problem that is being tackled by both governments and international bodies, including non-government organizations. In Paris, there have been calls in some social and political quarters to re-assign police officers to the fight against human trafficking as opposed to fighting sex workers themselves (Lieber & Bail, 2021). Immigrant women are particularly vulnerable, as most of those in the sex trade have described themselves as victims of trafficking (David, 2019). Therefore, pimps, property or premise owners, and the customers of the trade present a collective threat to trafficked women, which justifies legal bans on them.
Women’s Rights Issue
The representation of sex workers in Paris also involves framing the issue as human rights or women’s rights issues. Discussions associated with rights often consider the context of violence, where neo-abolitionists believe that abolishing the sex trade offers the ultimate protection of women’s rights (Lieber & Bail, 2021). In other words, fighting against the law that bans the sex trade can be equated to fighting against women’s safety. From a broader perspective, the sex trade is considered exploitative and a risk factor in sex trafficking. These evils undermine the rights of women, which can offset introducing legal frameworks that seek to protect sex workers against all forms of violence. In Paris, third-sector organizations have also been offering support to sex workers, but often focusing on the prevention of sex-related pandemics. According to David (2019), the mandates of these organizations went beyond the primary objectives of medication, prevention, and support to include ensuring that sex workers were respected as people with equal rights. The bottom line is that whenever violence emerges against female sex workers, feminists and mainstream media have often raised the question of women’s rights.
The women’s rights perspective is further complicated by the construction of prostitution as a social problem. The emergence of HIV meant that sex workers were perceived as a major threat, which resulted in restrictive and discriminatory intervention from both society and the government (David, 2019). Sex workers in Paris started to be viewed as unwanted elements in society, which means that many people did not feel obliged to respect them. Any form of violence against prostitutes can be perceived as a negative reaction to a profession of which many members of society disapprove. Additionally, the prohibitory laws may have created a feeling among many people that sex workers should not exist or that their presence was illegal. With the bans on prostitution, it can be argued that it is mostly the delinquents who would continue to seek the services of prostitutes. This is a group of people who are not keen on observing the law or showing any form of respect for women’s rights. Prostitution and the abolitionist legislation in Paris can be viewed as exposing sex workers to crime and the resulting violation of women’s rights.
Delinquents or Victims?
The need to address this question emanates from the fact that for decades, the legal and policy frameworks in France have alternated between banning the practice and purchase of the services. Additionally, there is the consideration of rights, violence, exploitation, and trafficking, which means that the sex trade is closely tied to criminal activity. It can be argued that the framing of the issue of prostitution by the French regulatory frameworks can help answer this question. The answer lies with what actions are considered illegal and what is prohibited. According to David (2019), the French regulatory framework focuses majorly on the procurement of services, including when no money is involved, and the practice is consented to by the sex worker. In this definition, it can be argued that neither delinquent nor victim applies to the sex worker. However, victimization may emerge when the vulnerability of the women is exploited, even when they consent to sexual activity.
As victims of circumstances, delinquency is placed on the people procuring the service. The mainstream media may not represent it this way since only the laws make it so. As a question of women’s safety, French society hopes to stop young people’s delinquency and incivility associated with the procurement of sex from prostitutes (Lieber & Bail, 2021). This representation is quite vague, considering that it is possible for women to willingly engage in the sex trade as a profession.
Repressive Policies and National security
The last issue regarding the representation of sex work in Paris revolves around the repressive policies and the perception of the sex trade as a matter of national security. David (2019) expresses that abolitionist policies force sex workers to conduct their business in out-of-the-way locations and late hours of the day in an attempt to evade police checks. This happens even though it is the customers that are targeted, which raises further questions about the feasibility of the approach. Preventing people from lawfully purchasing sex services drives the sex workers towards the underground economy and potentially organized crime. In Paris, some scholars have observed that repressive policies are majorly targeted at issues considered national threats or security, including immigration (David, 2019). For instance, Lieber and Bail (2021) state that sex workers considered either racialized or immigrant is increasingly seen as a threat to public security. Therefore, sex workers face a tough time in Paris since all angles of representation leave them exposed.
The government tends to respond to security threats cautiously, but the same cannot be said of the sex trade in Paris. Lieber and Bail (2021) argue that the security agencies in France criticize the view that sex workers are mainly victims of gender violence, noting that such a position denies their autonomy. Similar criticism has been offered in this research paper noting that some women actively and willingly engage in the trade as a means of making a living. However, there is no denying that sex work brings about more complex issues that only serve to further complicate the problem.
Conclusion
The focus of this paper has been to discuss the representation of sex work in Paris. Multiple issues have emerged, most of which emanate from the French government’s unabating efforts to prohibit the practice. However, health problems also contribute to how sex workers are perceived in the country. Most importantly, prostitution is constructed as a social problem since it exposes women to violence, exploitation, and trafficking. All these sub-themes have shown how complex sex work is in France, especially considering that issues of women’s rights also emerge.
References
David, M. (2019). The moral and political stakes of health issues in the regulation of prostitution (thee cases of Belgium and France). Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 16(3), 201-213. Web.
Lieber, M., & Bail, H. (2021). Aren’t sex workers women? Ladies, sex workers and the contrasting definitions of safety and violence. ACME: An International Journal for critical Geographies, 20(3), 241-256.