France's National Rally Proposes Reopening Brothels Run As Sex-Worker Cooperatives — Renewed Debate Over Decriminalization And Safety

France's far-right party, the National Rally, is preparing legislation to reintroduce legally recognized brothels that would operate as cooperatives managed and run by sex workers themselves, according to reporting in Le Monde. The draft bill is being advanced by National Assembly member Jean-Philippe Tanguy, who says former party leader Marine Le Pen supports the proposal.

What the Proposal Would Do

Tanguy says his interest grew after working with an organization that assists sex workers and meeting people across the spectrum of the industry — from those in highly vulnerable situations to others who said they were proud of their work. He argues that the 2016 law that criminalized paying for sex has pushed the trade underground and made it less safe. Under the draft bill, brothels would be legally recognized again but structured as sex-worker-run cooperatives.

Historical And Legal Context

France abolished its regulated brothel system in 1946, although prostitution itself remained technically legal while many related activities were criminalized. In 2016 the French legislature made the purchase of sexual services a crime, a move intended to curb demand. Critics and some advocates say that criminalizing clients has not improved safety and instead drives the sector into informal, less-regulated spaces.

"The height of bourgeois hypocrisy," Tanguy called the current system, arguing it fails to protect sex workers.

Responses And Contention

Not everyone welcomes a National Rally-led push. Some sex-worker rights organizations have rejected the idea of partnering with the party because of its nationalist and anti-immigration platform. Mylène Juste, a spokesperson for the Paris-based group STRASS, told Le Monde her group would not ally with the National Rally.

D.C. | 2018 (ENB/Reason)

Commentators and some advocates stress that any reopening of brothels should be optional, not mandatory. French commentator Édouard Hesse wrote on X that brothels could be acceptable only as an option and urged broader decriminalization: "We need to decriminalize this activity, protect rights, fight against coercion."

Other parliamentarians are also revisiting the issue. Philippe Juvin, a center-right Republican MP who introduced a bill last year focused on sex-worker protections, says he intends to pursue reforms as well. Juvin points to Belgium — which decriminalized sex work in 2022 and enacted additional measures to bolster rights and autonomy the following year — as a potential model.

Why This Matters

Advocates for decriminalization argue that removing penalties for clients and enabling sex workers to operate collectively would reduce stigma, improve labor protections, and increase safety. Opponents warn that limiting legal activity to brothel-based cooperatives could create new risks for people who do not want to work in that setting. The debate touches on public health, criminal justice, immigration policy, and broader questions about labor rights and autonomy.

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The proposed National Rally measure is likely to prompt heated debate in France and beyond about the best way to protect sex workers' rights and safety while addressing concerns about trafficking, exploitation, and public order.