Police arrested about 20 people across France on Wednesday on suspicion of buying childlike sex dolls online, sources close to the investigation said, confirming reports in the French press.
The arrests, which reportedly took place on Wednesday, were carried out as part of investigations into the sale of illegal products on online marketplaces including Asian giants Shein and AliExpress.
A source close to the investigation told French news agency AFP the arrests took place “across the whole of the country” as part of several separate inquiries.
According to French daily Libération, which first reported the arrests, the suspects are men, five of whom are known to the authorities for child abuse offences.
One of the arrests took place near Nice, the city’s public prosecutor Damien Martinelli confirmed to AFP.
According to Libération, officers searching the suspect’s home found a sex doll ordered earlier this year from the AliExpress website, as well as two other dolls with a childlike appearance.
Police are conducting interviews in Toulouse, Verdun and Rouen, Franceinfo public media reported.
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Online marketplaces in firing line
In early November, the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) asked prosecutors to look into the sale of childlike sex dolls by the e-commerce giant Shein.
The Paris prosecutor’s office later announced that it instructed the Office for Minors to pursue four investigations, covering the sale of illegal products on platforms Shein, AliExpress, Temu and Wish.
The investigations concern the “distribution of violent, pornographic or dignity-violating content accessible to a minor” across the four sites, the prosecutor’s office said.
In the case of Shein and AliExpress, which were offering dolls with a childlike appearance, the investigations also relate to the “distribution of the image or representation of a minor of a pornographic nature”.
Temu said the DGCCRF’s referral “did not in any way relate to the sale of sex dolls with a childlike appearance”, while Shein and AliExpress said they had removed all the listings identified.
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Call for controls
In the town of Melun, south of Paris, an investigation has been opened against the company ObeyMe Dolls for selling dolls with a childlike appearance.
At the end of November, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced it was taking online marketplaces AliExpress and Joom to court for selling childlike sex dolls.
It also announced an inquiry targeting the US platform eBay. Trade Minister Serge Papin said that sales of “category A weapons, such as knuckledusters and machetes” had been detected on eBay, as well as on Wish, Temu and AliExpress.
French judges will rule on 19 December on the government’s request to suspend Shein for three months over the sale of illegal products.
Last week France called for Shein to put controls in place on its website, including age verification and filtering.
(with AFP)
