French Senators Vote to Ban Child Beauty Contests - the Local
From September 2013.
Beauty pageants have a proud tradition in France but they are not to everyone’s liking, especially these involving young teenage girls, known as “mini miss” competitions.
In the Senate on Tuesday centrist Senator Chantal Jouanno, author of a report “Against Hyper-Sexualisation: A New Fight For Equality” proposed an ammendment to the bill, banning the underage contests, which was backed by 196 senators, with 146 voting against it.
The sexual equality law will return to the lower house National Assembly for a second reading in November where deputees will have the final say on the so-called “Mini Miss” contests.
The Senate agreed to adopt tough sanctions to anyone flouting the law.
Under the new law, organizers of pageants under the age of 16 may now face up to two years in prison if they fail to comply with the ban and a fine of up to €30,000 ($40,000).
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