Consumer protection authorities in France have denounced fast fashion company Shein for selling sex dolls that resemble children.
This news comes after Shein's announcement last month, where the company announced its intention to open its first physical store in central Paris.
The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) has referred the case to public prosecutors, and Economy Minister Roland Lescure said on Monday he would seek to ban Shein from the French market if similar incidents occur.
"This is provided for by law," he said. "In cases involving terrorism, drug trafficking or child pornography, the government has the right to request that access to the French market be denied," Lescure added to BFM TV.
The law gives French authorities the ability to order online platforms to remove illegal content, such as child pornography, within 24 hours. If they fail to comply, authorities can require internet service providers and search engines to block access and delist the website.
But the dolls were removed from Shein's platforms. The ad was also removed from the Chinese sales site AliExpress.
"It's not just Shein, there are many others. We have been notified of other cases," France's high commissioner for children, Sarah El Haïry, confirmed to Franceinfo on Monday. El Haïry also announced that the government had launched broader investigations into other platforms.
Shein has not commented on this incident.
In relation to this case, French authorities also highlighted that Shein sells other pornographic products, including sex dolls that resemble adults, without effective age filtering measures that would prevent "minorities or sensitive audiences from having access to such pornographic content".
Shein was founded in China in 2012, and is now based in Singapore. Reaching customers primarily through its app, it has grown rapidly to become a global leader in fast fashion, shipping products to 150 countries. The company has faced criticism for its labor practices and environmental impact.
