Paris: After months of public outrage and heated debates, it seems that the #MeToo movement may finally have an effect on French legislation, with MPs currently debating the Sexual and Sexist Violence Bill at the National Assembly.That such a Bill exists is itself not a direct outcome of #MeToo – it has been in the works ever since French President Emmanuel Macron promised that gender equality would be the “national cause” of his five-year term. Nevertheless, issues that were raised by the movement (or its French equivalent, #BalanceTonPorc), are undeniably present in the Bill tabled in parliament by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and French secretary of state for equality between men and women, Marlene Schiappa.#MeToo in FranceIn France, the #MeToo movement started in October 2017 when journalist Sandra Muller called upon the Twittersphere to “#BalanceTonPorc” (loosely translated as “#ExposeYourPig”), following public allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein.According to social media analytics run by the online marketing company Talkwalker, 81,000 French people used one of these hashtags to call out bosses, colleagues and strangers for harassment and unwanted attention. The movement also increased support for existing blogs such as Paye ton Taf and Paye ta Shnek, which denounce instances of daily sexism at the workplace, at home and in public spaces.The Sexual and Sexist Violence Bill was unveiled for the first time in March, following a six-month-long ‘Tour de France for Equality’, during which 55,000 people participated in 824 workshops organised around France by the Secretariat for Equality between Men and Women. According to official communications from the Secretariat, the ‘Tour de France for Equality’ was intended to source best practices and influence policymaking on gender equality at the national level.Fines against catcalling A new notion put forth by the Sexual and Sexist Violence Bill is that of a “sexist offence”, which refers to any sexual or sexist comment that “degrades or humiliates a person, and creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive situation”. This includes street harassment and proposes a fine for offenders that would range between 90 and 3,000 euros.A woman holds a placard reading, “Together, break the silence”, during a gathering against gender-based and sexual violence in Marseille, France. Credit: Reuters/Jean-Paul PelissierSimilar fines have already been experimented with in Belgium and the Netherlands with varying results, and critics have also pointed out the difficulty of implementing such a provision, which requires perpetrators to be caught in the act by the police. But Schiappa seems to consider it more of a deterrent and has pointed out its “pedagogical value” on numerous occasions. Certainly, if nothing else, the provision is a slap on the wrists of the French celebrities who claimed earlier this year that “pestering women” is a cornerstone of French culture.Tackling sexism in the digital ageThe Bill also proposes to broaden the definition of “harassment” to include incidents of cyber-harassment, which so far have benefited from a legal loophole. As of today, a one-time offending act cannot count as harassment under French law – it has to be repeated, which disqualifies cases where several hundreds of internet users can plan a coordinated cyber-assault against an individual.In a much-publicised example, in 2016, YouTuber Marion Seclin uploaded a video denouncing street harassment, after which she reported receiving over 40,000 insults, rape threats and death threats targeting her and her family. As #MeToo is after all a movement that has been sustained by the internet, with women overwhelmingly choosing social media to voice their accusations, it indeed seems a necessary precaution to set up measures against the online backlash.Helping victims come forward after years of traumaThe #MeToo movement has also shown that it can take several years for victims of sexual violence to come forward. Consequently, the Sexual and Sexist Violence Bill seeks to increase the prescription period for rape to 30 years after a victim turns 18, to allow sexual abuse victims to file complaints later in their lives.No minimum age of consentNumerous debates on the Bill have revolved around the instatement of an age of consent in France, which currently only has an age of “sexual majority” fixed at 15. Below “sexual majority”, the lack of consent of a child is not assumed and would need to be proven. As a result, an adult having sexual relations with a child below the age of ‘sexual majority’ is often convicted of sexual abuse (punishable by five years in prison and a 75,000-euro fine) rather than rape.The country was recently shaken by two cases of older men engaging in sexual relationships with young girls and “getting away” with convictions for sexual assault. According to the polling and market research firm Ifop, 69% of French citizens would have approved setting an age of consent at 15, but, with some parties claiming unconstitutionality, the Bill has instead proposed a stricter sentence for sexual assault.A contested Bill For this reason, amongst others, some opposition parties and civil society organisations believe that the Sexual and Sexist Violence Bill does not do justice to the #MeToo movement. In the parliamentary commission that examined the Bill last Wednesday, MP Clémentine Autain claimed that “the mountain” that was the movement had ultimately given birth to “a tiny mouse”. She also stressed the need for adequate financial means to support the different proposed measures.Politique’elles, a non-profit organisation that works for gender equality in France, has published suggested additions to the Sexual and Sexist Violence Bill that, amongst other amendments, include measures against child prostitution. In recent months, a number of prostitution rackets involving minors have come to light in France, raising issues that are conspicuously absent from the Bill.Of course, another instance where much progress remains to be made is the workplace. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, France is 11th out of 144 countries in terms of gender equality, but only 129th when it comes to wage equality. Perhaps forestalling their critics, secretary of state for equality Schiappa and minister of labour Muriel Pénicaud also unveiled 15 measures to bridge the gender gap at the workplace last week, many of which call for the correct implementation of already-existing laws.The Sexual and Sexist Violence Bill survived the scrutiny of a parliamentary commission last week and from today is being discussed in a public session. Only time will tell if Macron’s government is merely paying lip service to the #MeToo movement or is truly committed to acting on the grievances that French women have voiced.Sara Chatterjee is a freelance writer based in Paris, France.