DHAKA: French lawmakers will next week consider a bill that punishes the clients of prostitutes and has sparked fierce debate in a country with a long history of liberal attitudes to sex.

The bill, which the government says is aimed at preventing violence against women, has come under fire from celebrities like Catherine Deneuve and Charles Aznavour, leading intellectuals and prostitutes themselves.

Spearheaded by France’s women’s rights minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the law will fine clients of prostitutes 1,500 euros or $2,025 for a first offence and double that for repeat offenders.

Prostitution itself is legal in France but soliciting, pimping and minors selling sex are prohibited. The government estimates about 20,000 prostitutes operate in France.

Several hundred prostitutes marched through the streets of Paris to denounce the plan last month, waving placards reading, ‘Punishing Clients = Killing Prostitutes’ and ‘We’re Whores and We’re Proud!’

Sex workers’ group Strass argues the measure will hurt prostitutes by driving the practice further underground.

‘Punishing clients is a harmful measure that puts the health, security and lives (of prostitutes) in danger,’ it said.

Supporters of the bill, which could be debated from as early as Wednesday, point out that it also proposes a series of measures to assist prostitutes, especially those trafficked to France, including easier access to working papers, housing and financial support.

But opponents say its punitive nature is a step too far and intrudes on the private lives of French citizens.

In a series of open letters, celebrities and cultural figures have urged the government to reconsider the plan, reports daily Hurriyet.

BDST: 1915 HRS, NOV 24, 2013