Three days before the France-New Zealand opening match, all of Saint-Denis is decked out in the colors of the Rugby World Cup. With ten matches, including the final, to be held at the Stade de France, the city is preparing to live to the rhythm of the songs of the supporters who will come from all over the planet. A party therefore, as the Olympic Games will be, but whose excesses she fears. In the line of sight, the risk that these international events will be the breeding ground for an increase in the prostitution of underage girls.
“It’s a chance for us to welcome all these tourists and to make our territory known. This does not prevent us from being attentive to the difficulties that may accompany them. We want to prevent young girls from entering prostitution at this time, thinking that it is an opportunity to make money, without being aware violence they will suffer and long-term damage“, explains Oriane Filhol, deputy mayor (PS) of Saint-Denis, in charge in particular of women’s rights.
Educate customers
The city is therefore launching an awareness campaign on the fight against prostitution this Friday with an information stand at the Rugby Village set up on the forecourt of the town hall and a poster campaign aimed at potential customers. It was also designed with a view to the Paris 2024 Olympics. It is also the organization of the games that finances it following a call for tenders.
A message on the tickets?
“Tourists who come to Saint-Denis are not necessarily aware of the legislation on prostitution. The objective is to remind that it is a crime to use it and to alert to the fact that these are often minors who is prostitute“, underlines Oriane Filhol. For more impact, the city would even like the message to appear on stadium tickets. It has also initiated discussions with accommodation players such as Airbnb.
Spot the situations of prostitution
This campaign is the second stage of a larger plan to fight prostitution started in mid-June. “The idea was to raise awareness first of all of the voluntary actors who may be in contact with people in danger. We have trained many city officials, youth leaders or local mission professionals to identify situations of prostitution or risk, situations of influence, etc.“, details the chosen one.
These trainings allow, according to her, to bring elements of understanding of the phenomenon to be able to better react and guide young girls sometimes very young of 13-14 years. “From the beginning of our mandate [ndlr en 2020], we have made the fight against prostitution a priority because we have been challenged by schools on situations of prostitution. However, National Education provides relatively few tools“, insists Oriane Filhol. These interventions carried out by specialists directly with young people relate in particular to baking and the use of social networks.
“We all have in mind street prostitution or pimps from organized crime. But there are also these young girls who go through social networks and those who are under the influence of their boyfriends“, underlines the chosen one.
7,000 to 10,000 minors are in a situation of prostitution in France according to the rapport Champrenault (2021), which was used to draw up the national plan to combat child prostitution.
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