A conference in the French National Assembly in Paris is marking the ten-year anniversary of France's law against sex purchase, building on Sweden's two-decade-old similar legislation and a 2019 joint strategy to combat human trafficking for sexual exploitation. The event coincides with a visit by Sweden's Gender Equality Minister Nina Larsson, who is meeting with France's Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé to discuss their collaborative efforts. Larsson is also holding talks with the French Ambassador for Human Rights Isabelle Rome and the Executive Director of the civil society organization CAP International Héma Sibi.
According to official sources, these meetings will focus on the strategy to combat human trafficking and joint work to spread legislation that criminalizes the purchase but not the sale of sexual services to more countries. The cooperation is rooted in a shared view on the need to combat the demand for sexual acts and to offer help to those exploited in prostitution to leave their vulnerability, as stated by officials. Later in the day, the minister will meet some of the French civil society organizations that work with so-called Exit programs for people exploited in prostitution.
It remains unclear which specific nations are being targeted or what concrete outcomes are expected from the discussions, and the exact number or names of these organizations have not been disclosed. The current status and impact of the French law after ten years, as well as the detailed results of the 2019 joint strategy, are not yet fully known, highlighting ongoing uncertainties in the evaluation of these policies.