The Construct of Sex Work in France: A Qualitative Analysis of the Development of a Sex Work Policy

Abstract

This paper aims to shed light on the particular development of repressive policies on sex work in France. The analysis draws on two main datasets: ongoing research on humanitarian interventions and interviews with insti-tutional, mainstream feminists and other neo-abolitionist groups in Paris and Marseille. The analysis is supported by the ethnographic data emerging from interviews with street- and internet-based migrant workers and key informants, such as community health outreach workers, social workers, and immigration lawyers, in Paris. This analysis argues that the construction of prostitution as a social problem ought to be seen in light of broader political anxieties over sexist behaviour in poor neighbourhoods and immigration control.