The exit from prostitution pathway: a fragile scheme tested in the field

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  🔍💡 Exit from prostitution pathway: fewer than half of eligible people actually access the scheme, and most leave with precarious residence status and employment. #Prostitution #ViolenceAgainstWomen
  ⚖️🚧 Between the 2016 law and field realities, the FAS survey documents informal filters, administrative obstacles and lack of resources that prevent the PSP from fully playing its protective role. #HumanRights #PublicPolicy 

Source:       

• Section 1📜🔗LINK   

• Section 2📜🔗LINK

1. Analytical summary

Context and stakes of the PSP

Nine years after the 13 April 2016 law, the exit from prostitution pathway (PSP) remains unevenly implemented, with only 75 active departmental commissions and strong territorial disparities. The two surveys draw on 104 accredited associations in 75 departments, which supported 1,624 people in 2024, mostly non‑EU migrant women, often single mothers and exposed to trafficking. Fewer than half of those identified as eligible actually access the PSP, because of informal pre‑commissions, restrictive criteria and discriminatory practices. Accommodation, access to rights, health care and employment schemes fail to meet needs, weakening exits from prostitution and sustaining the risk of return. The PSP thus appears as a central but under‑resourced lever for protection and integration, in a context of tightening migration policies and digitised access to rights.

Operational added value for practitioners

Together, the two reports provide a detailed map of departmental practices, access criteria and dysfunctions in commissions, which can be used to build arguments with prefects and local gender equality delegates. They document obstacles during the pathway (housing, temporary residence permits, AFIS benefit, childcare, health care, language training) and at exit (short‑term residence permits, precarious contracts, benefit gaps), using quantitative data and association testimonies. The reports set out 10 recommendations on governance, training, funding and housing, complemented by 7 focused recommendations on residence permits, AFIS and pre‑commissions. These are directly usable to support advocacy, feed territorial diagnostics and structure cooperation protocols. They can also serve as a basis for training materials for professionals, using key figures and profiles (young women, single mothers, trafficking victims).

2. Key points of the documents (max. 5)

The two surveys show that only 449 out of 1,103 eligible people accessed the PSP in 2024, i.e. 41% of those identified, confirming that the scheme benefits only a minority of those concerned. They show that 75 departmental commissions are active, but 17 departments still have none and 9 do not convene them, while 33 informal pre‑commissions without legal basis filter applications. The surveys confirm that 98% of PSP beneficiaries are women, mainly non‑EU migrants, including a significant proportion of single mothers and a rising group of 18–24‑year‑olds, many affected by trafficking. On the support side, 48% of 93 responding associations state they lack sufficient resources to provide comprehensive, tailored medico‑psycho‑social support. At exit, 55% of residence permits granted are one‑year “private and family life” permits and 30% are “salaried/temporary worker” permits, which maintains strong administrative and employment precarity
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3. Actionable pathways for local actors (max. 4)

Local actors can document how their commissions operate, identify pre‑commissions and unlawful criteria (mandatory complaint, OQTF, over‑conditional professional projects) and use the data and recommendations from both parts to challenge prefects and demand compliance with the law. Associations can strengthen their arguments on needs for secure housing, language courses, childcare and health mediation by relying on the detailed list of obstacles and unfunded services, to negotiate multi‑year funding and local cooperation. Field teams can use the profile data (young women, single mothers, trafficking victims) to adapt outreach, build partnerships with child protection and anti‑trafficking services, and advocate for PSP integration into departmental strategies. Territorial coordination bodies can use the 10 + 7 recommendations to design or revise departmental action plans, including systematic training for commission members, justice/police/health/social cooperation protocols and quantified targets for dedicated housing places.

#pratiquesensante #Prostitution #ViolenceAgainstWomen #HumanRights #HealthLiteracy #SocialInclusion #SocialWork #PublicPolicy