CNN Paying for sex in France is about to get a lot more expensive. Journalists Noisette Martel and Aurore Gayte contributed to this report. Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. More Videos France makes paying for sex illegal Story highlights Prostitution clients in France now face fines and mandatory classes Meanwhile, prostitutes will no longer be jailed or fined for public soliciting Supporters say clients are the real criminals; opponents say the law is illogical.
France has joined a growing number of European countries that criminalize clients of prostitutes. The French National Assembly outlawed the hiring of prostitutes while eliminating penalties for sex workers.
Clients will also have to enroll in workshops to learn about the plight of sex workers, according to the National Assembly 's website. Meanwhile, sex workers will no longer be fined or jailed for public soliciting. And foreign sex workers actively trying to get out of prostitution can be given a six-month residential permit and state funding to prevent prostitution.
Le Monde editor on prostitution bill The measure has been quite controversial in France, having bounced back and forth between the legislature's two chambers since It passed Wednesday in the National Assembly by a vote of 64 to But many wondered how prostitution could be legalized if the purchase of sex is now illegal.
France follows at least four other European countries that have criminalized the purchase of sex: Sweden, Norway, Iceland and the UK.
