Online retailer Shein has banned the sale of all sex dolls on its platform worldwide after an outcry in France over its sale of a childlike sex doll. File Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/EPA
Nov. 4 (UPI) — After an outcry in France about online retailer Shein selling sex dolls that look like children, the company announced it will ban the sale of all sex dolls on its platform.
Shein issued a statement Monday saying it had removed the dolls as well as permanently banned “all seller accounts linked to illegal or non-compliant sex-doll products.” It said it will tighten controls on its entire site around the world. It also temporarily removed all adult products as a precaution, the BBC reported.
“The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable for Shein. These were marketplace listings from third-party sellers — but I take this personally,” said Executive Chair Donald Tang in a statement. “We are tracing the source and will take swift, decisive action against those responsible.”
On Friday, the anti-fraud agency, the French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, said it got an anonymous tip about the sale of the dolls on the French version of the online platform.
The agency issued a press release saying it “discovered that the e-commerce website Shein was selling sex dolls with a childlike appearance. Their description and categorization on the site leave little doubt as to the child pornography nature of the content.”
The dolls, sold by a third-party seller, were on the site until 4 a.m. CET Monday, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.
The DGCCRF threatened to ban Shein from operating in France if the dolls were not removed. Shein is opening a store at BHV Marais, a department store in Paris. But after the discovery of the dolls, employees have protested, and some French brands have pulled their items from the department store.
The president of the parent company of BVH Marais said he still plans to work with Shein to open the store. “I have decided not to reverse my decision, despite the controversy and the pressure because we’re doing things by the book, with ethics and transparency,” SGM President Frédéric Merlin said.
