About 15,000 victims shocking numbers of child sexual exploitation in France

In continuation to the alarming figures coming from France about the high level of crime, violence and human trafficking, another rampant scourge is being revealed, represented in the use of thousands of children and minors in prostitution, amid human rights calls for legal tightening to curb this phenomenon.

Despite the arsenal of local and international laws and charters that stress the need to protect children and preserve their rights, the recent period, in France, has witnessed an increasing activity of criminal networks and gangs that use children illegally and inhumanely, as the weakest social group in their societies, who can be lured and exploited.

French human rights organizations have recently launched screams of panic about the figures revealed by official departments about the forced exploitation of children and minors in “prostitution,” calling on the authorities and security services to stop this grave violation of children’s rights and this dangerous form of human trafficking, and to hold those involved accountable. in it.

Thousands of child victims

A shocking report issued by the association against child prostitution in France ACPE revealed that between 10 thousand and 15 thousand minors engaged in "prostitution" throughout France during the past year 2021, which is a shocking increase compared to previous years.

Commenting on these figures, Jean-Marc Droger, Director of the Central Office for the Suppression of Trafficking in Human Beings (OCRTEH), said: "This phenomenon has witnessed an alarming rise since 2015, particularly affecting girls."

Drogh explained that, mostly, very young girls between the ages of 15 and 17 are recruited through social networks, such as "Instagram", "Tik Tok", "Snapchat" and others, and thus customers respond to advertisements on websites, and then they are obtained On passes in Airbnb apartments or budget hotels.

According to a previous report of the Ministry of Child and Families Affairs, human trafficking gangs target children and minors, particularly females, from all social backgrounds, especially those who are in a state of vulnerability, such as feeling psychological fragility, emotional or educational deficiency, and those who suffer from family disintegration, or They are experiencing cases of violence within the family, or those who have experienced sexual harassment or abuse and have not been able to report it.

The most targeted group in forced sexual exploitation are unaccompanied children, including children in camps in northern France. The results of a previous study by UNICEF UK and France showed that smugglers force girls in camps along the English Channel into "forced prostitution" in exchange for facilitating their travel to the UK or speeding up their journey.

Numerous media and security reports pointed out that the human trafficking gangs that exploit minors in "prostitution" are mostly men with a criminal record. This illegal trade has recently attracted many people due to the huge profits it provides, amounting to 150 euros per day.

Tightening and legal measures

In light of the frightening spread of the phenomenon of forced labor of minors in "prostitution", the French government presented on November 15 an inter-ministerial plan to combat this scourge, and allocated a financial budget of 14 million euros for it.

The plan, as explained by the Minister of State for Child and Families Affairs, Adriat Take, is based on several pillars, the most important of which is raising awareness, strengthening legal measures against employers and exploiters, and supporting minors who have been exploited in this crime, who, according to the 2002 law, are considered mere victims.

Meanwhile, human rights associations and organizations stress the need to take more legal measures to address this phenomenon.