The French government has stated that fast fashion giant Shein will be banned if it continues selling sex dolls with pedophilic characteristics.
French Economy Minister Le Maire said on the 3rd: “If these behaviors persist, we will have the right to demand the banning of Shein’s e-commerce platform from the French market.”
He pointed out that if a platform repeatedly fails to correct such actions or does not promptly remove illegal content related to “terrorist acts, drug trafficking, and child pornography,” the government can prohibit the platform’s operation.
On the 1st, France’s Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention announced that after discovering “sex dolls closely resembling children” on Shein’s website, it had reported the matter to the judicial authorities.
Shein will be summoned to the French parliament for questioning “within 15 days.”
In addition to Shein, French media revealed that Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress was also found selling similar products. AliExpress subsequently stated that it had immediately removed the related items.
Products Immediately Removed from the Platform
Meanwhile, on the 3rd, Shein said it had implemented a “comprehensive ban on all sex doll products” worldwide and had deleted all advertisements and images relating to “sex dolls.”
Shein stated that the platform had also temporarily removed the “adult products” category.
Shein’s CEO Tang Wei told the media: “These listings were made by third-party sellers, but I am personally willing to take responsibility.”
Shein is a company founded in China. Since entering France in 2015, the company has gradually established a foothold in the e-commerce field, but it is often accused of unfair competition, environmental pollution, and poor working conditions.
Shein recently announced that it would enter the historic Paris department store Printemps, established in 1856, to open its first ever physical store on the 3rd.