China’s Shein pulls child-like sex dolls from sale following French watchdog complaint

PARIS - Chinese online retailer Shein has pulled from sale child-like sex dolls after they were found on its website by the French consumer watchdog, the company said on Nov 2.

France’s Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) had said late on Nov 1 it spotted the dolls on the website along with several other pornographic items such as adult-looking sex dolls, and had reported the matter to the judicial authorities.

“Their description and categorisation on the site leave little doubt as to the child pornography nature of the content,” DGCCRF said in a statement.

The agency added that no filtering measures effectively limit access on the website to this pornographic content for minors or sensitive audiences.

Contacted by Reuters, Shein said in an e-mail: “The products in question were immediately removed from the platform as soon as we became aware of these major shortcomings.”

It added that “Shein has a zero-tolerance policy towards any content or products that violate our internal policies or applicable laws”.

The Chinese fast-fashion company is

set to open a physical store

, its first in France, on Nov 5, at the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville in Paris. It has come under fire from conventional French apparel retailers, who say Shein is undermining their business model with its ultra-low prices.

Shein also plans to open five other stores within Galeries Lafayette department stores, in Angers, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges and Reims. REUTERS