2023-12-15 00:21:33
Sex workers made their anger resonate this Thursday in the city center of Toulouse, near the Jean-Jaurès metro station. Supported and accompanied by the Griselidis association, they publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with the consequences of the municipal anti-prostitution decrees, in place since 2014.
Accused by demonstrators of making prostitutes more precarious and endangering, these municipal decrees respond, according to the municipality, to complaints from residents of the city center, at the time, who denounced noise pollution and insecurity. Since 2014, the number of complaints has dropped drastically.
More often victims of aggression
A figure which would also have increased is that of the number of attacks to which sex workers have since been victims. Deprived of working in certain districts of the city center, they are therefore sent to the outskirts of the city, where they are subjected to precarious conditions.
A situation that those mainly concerned deplore. “These are places that are difficult or even inaccessible by transport, often poorly lit, so prostitutes are more vulnerable and more subject to attacks,” explains Julie Sarrazin, co-director of Griselidis, a health association that works with sex workers.
Not systematically rescued?
They go further in their accusations. They denounce several cases of refusal of assistance on the part of the police, who would not systematically move in the event of violence denounced by prostitutes. A point which would not have served as a complaint to the town hall according to Émilion Esnault, deputy to the councilor.
Finally, even when they go to police stations on their own, their complaints are not systematically recorded either. Serious accusations, especially since it is an illegal practice. The police, for their part, formally deny having refused any complaint.
Mediation: a possible solution
But then what can be done to resolve these tensions? How can we ensure maximum safety for prostitutes while respecting the “tranquility” of local residents, which the town hall defends? The Griselidis association proposes in particular to set up mediation with the population, in order to communicate on the potential problems which could arise.
A measure that was in place, according to Julie Sarrazin, before the implementation of municipal decrees. But according to Émilion Esnault, many problems still arose in the neighborhoods concerned, hence these orders. Only a compromise between the two parties could resolve the conflict between them, even if the dialogue seems more or less broken.
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