Life under lockdown ups precarity for ladies of the night

PARIS, France — With their health in jeopardy and customers evaporating, ladies of the night in France are struggling as the novel coronavirus threatens their livelihoods — and there is no safety net in sight.

Many are being forced onto the streets as they lose their incomes, at a time when police are enforcing government orders for people to stay at home.

France has been in lockdown for a week, with only essential trips outside allowed, in a bid to halt the acceleration of the virus’ spread.

“I have no choice since I work on the street and I travel to people’s homes,” said Pamela, a 46-year-old street worker from the southwestern city of Toulouse who stopped working when the lockdown was announced.

Solicitations have not completely dried up, she said, but she has decided to ignore them: “Pay a fine of 135 euros ($145) for a client at 50 euros, no…”

However, if the lockdown continues, her meagre savings will no longer be enough, she added.

“I will have to take risks. Even if I have two clients a week, it would at least pay for food,” she said.

Her name, and those of the other street workers quoted have been changed for this story.

“The situation is dramatic,” worries Sarah-Marie Maffesoli, a programme coordinator at the human rights organisation Doctors of the World.

“There are almost no more customers. How long will they be able to stop working?” she said.

“Being healthy without being able to eat or feed one’s children is complicated.”

Prostitution itself is not illegal in France, though a law introduced in 2016 shifts the criminal responsibility to clients who can be fined if caught.

But ladies of the night, few of whom have a self-employed work status, will not be able to claim the 1,500 euros in aid promised by the French government to independent workers to compensate for a drop in their activity due to the virus outbreak.

To make up for gaps in support, the tight-knit support community has launched several fundraising initiatives online.

On one Instagram page called “tapotepute”, more than 10,000 euros was raised.

“We hope to help about 30 ladies of the night,” says Judith, 22, a Paris-based escort who created the page.

For those who continue to work “to ensure their survival”, the workers’ union has published a series of recommendations on its website such as to “avoid contact with saliva”.

Many associations which have had to suspend their in-person outreach programmes are also worried that ladies of the night will end up homeless if they can’t pay the rent or their accommodation is shut.

“With the lockdown, many hotels have closed and ladies of the night have found themselves on the street,” Antoine Baudry, of the Lyon-based Cabiria association for community health, said.

Migrants who work as street workers are in the most precarious situation, particularly those who are undocumented and do not speak French.

“For them, it is not easy to know what they have the right to do and not to do,” said June Charlot, a health mediator at Griselidis, a Toulouse association distributing financial aid, prevention kits and travel certificates.

“The people we had on the phone are completely distraught,” she added.

The coronavirus health crisis does not only affect these workers, but also escorts.

“My clients are quite wealthy. They are aware of the risks, they no longer ask for me,” said Charlie, a 28-year-old Parisian who says she can normally earn 2,000 euros a month “without working much”.

“I have a bit of money set aside, but I can’t last more than a month,” she added.

With movement and social contact heavily restricted under the lockdown, webcam sites could be the solution — for those who can afford it and are tech savvy.

“I don’t trust the internet and online payments, I don’t know how to do it,” Nathalie, a 48-year-old Toulouse escort, said.

Charlie, whose parents are unaware of her activity, fears being subjected to blackmail or online harassment if her videos are stolen, which is common.

“The platforms lack security and confidentiality. Anyone can take a screenshot and then share it,” she said.

Above all, “it requires resources, a good connection and a computer,” says Eva Vocz, a “camgirl” from Marseille, who charges 50 euros for 20 minutes.

“It’s a job that can be learned, to develop a technique, communicate on social networks to build a fan base. It takes time,” she said.