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TODAY MARKS ONE year since it became illegal to buy sex in Ireland – but supporters of the legislation are criticising how little the law seems to have done for women in the industry.
New laws which took effect last year criminalised the purchase of sex in Ireland and many workers have said this has resulted in them working on their own, depriving them of security previously available to them.
Those opposed to the legislation, including the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI), said that it has made the job of the worker a lot more dangerous and that demand for sex has not reduced as a result – with the exception of the Christmas holiday period.
The prospect of arrest has created a greater sense of paranoia for clients who are now convinced that they are going to be caught.
Those who championed the new laws say not enough is being done to enforce them.
A key component of the new law was making the purchase of sex illegal. Anyone convicted of doing this for the first time faces a maximum fine of €500, which increases to €1,000 for a second or subsequent offence. It also fully decriminalised individuals in prostitution. It is still illegal for more than one woman to operate out of the same premises.
Dublin-based sex trade survivor group Space International has called on the Department of Justice to ensure that the law is being fully implemented.
According to the group, there is no way of knowing how many arrests have been made of buyers of sex. They said that, when recording arrests relating to this criminal offence, gardaí do not classify it as a separate offence from other sex crimes.
Rachel Moran from Space International is one woman who managed to escape a life of prostitution. She started working in the industry at 15 years of age in Dublin city.
She managed to extricate herself from the sex trade in 1998 at the age of 22.
Speaking about the new laws, she said that sex trade survivors know exactly how it feels to be caught up in prostitution.
She said: “The harms are obvious to those of us with first-hand experience. Ireland took a great first step last year and I am very glad to see that women in prostitution are not being targeted and are being treated with more empathy.
But we also have to do far better with arresting the pimps, traffickers and buyers who are causing both the immediate harm and the demand.
“Without this demand, the pimps and traffickers would have no role to begin with. The buyers are easy to find and what they are doing is now illegal, so there is no reason not to charge them with the crime they are committing. We also need a proper system to categorise those arrests. It’s crazy that this doesn’t happen at the minute.
“It appalls me that men are still purchasing sex from vulnerable women with impunity. Paying for someone to agree to rent their body to you is not sexual consent, it is sexual coercion. Another word for that is rape, and the Irish men who do it need to be held accountable.”
According to Space, gardaí do not seem to be targeting pimps or buyers of sex in known locations and many brothels “are operating openly”.
Sex workers
But the Sex Workers Association of Ireland (SWAI) has other thoughts on the legislation. The group said that the last year has meant that women in the industry are now in increased danger due to the new laws.
Many sex workers now feel lonelier and more isolated from their peers – something which is having a detrimental effect on their mental health.
Before the laws came in, many women would share an apartment. They would take different shifts and would look after the place. Since the new laws came in, this has changed.
Shortly before Christmas, TheJournal.ie spoke with women in the sex trade about how their jobs had become more difficult after the introduction of the new legislation.
Martina (not her real name), who is originally from Moldova but has lived in Ireland for four years, explained how last year she was attacked by a group of men.
“I received a call from a new client so we arranged a time but when he arrived, he was very drunk and with his friends. He called me names and another threw a bottle into the apartment. They all ran off but it was very frightening.”
One central European sex worker told TheJournal.ie: “I feel unsafe in every moment in this country, there’s no system for the sexual work in Ireland.
I worry because my client can be a robber and it’s dangerous because I have to work alone and I cannot control a man if he take off the condom.
While there are women in Ireland who are working as independent escorts, there is a large element which is made up by human trafficking controlled by illegal pimps.
TheJournal.ie contacted the DPP and asked how many convictions have been made since the laws were enacted. We received no reply by time of publication.
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Bout as Irish as I am a Rabbi….
Sean hannitty is the complete opposite of irishness ….him and that other great irishman oreilly are 2 of the most hateful characters that god ever screwed feet on
Ye everyone knows you can only be Irish if you subscribe to a certain political philosophy…
Hey if it makes you feel any better most people here are pretty embarrassed by the whole “Obama is Irish” crap too.
D H, bit of a dumb comment. Can think of plenty more hateful characters than a couple or TV presenters. Tuigeann?
Irish and called one of her kids Tatcher!?!?!,
Megyn Kelly . hubba hubba hubba .That’s right, 3 hubba’s.
@Mr KnowitAll:
If Trump said that you’d all be bawling your eyes out.
Guess we know how she got the job.
@A hater: What an ignorant statement! Does your innuendo also apply to Hannity or are you one of those true male chauvinists pigs who thinks women can only progress in the workplace by giving sexual favours?
I’m sure he’s referring to her outstanding C.V.
You’re probably right given what’s happened to Roger Ailes at Fox. All these bimbos banged and blew their way to pundit fame.
As a country, we should be able to sue bigoted clowns like Hannity for defamation. Either that or invite him here, so that we can take turns kicking him in the nuts!
Wow so charming and tolerant. At least you practice what you preach….
You’re the only bigot here. Please learn what a word means before throwing it around lest you be subject to libel or slander.
@A hater: Why don’t you Google Hannity and add the name Cliven Bundy and see what comes up. Hannity epitomises bigotry!
We’re Irish, it’s complicated?
Typical pathetic a$$ response from an American with Irish roots from several generations ago.
These people are NOT Irish, they are 100% american
Ok I know your position now. I think it’s a dumb one that you couldn’t defend but at least you stated it clearly. Now, let’s chew the fat. If I move to America, am I American? Or would that only apply to my children?
A lot of the readers on this would be right at home at Fox News to be fair
@Showbiz Babyyy: you’d be more of a Pravda type,i suppose ?
You tell em lad you know best sure why even pay taxes just sign on Yeah you tell em bossssssss
‘The pair later made up following a meeting at Trump Tower in New York.’
Cough…cough!
If that great twitter ignoramous Graham Linehan says you aren’t Irish then you most likely are. Have to laugh at the outrage some here have over Yanks identifying with their heritage. Get over yourselves for a second.
You don’t see me going on my Anglo-Saxon heritage do yah
^^ Who the f**k is that guy?
I agree with you Eamonn. It’s always the ones without a lick of Irish too…methinks they feel their token Irish identity slipping. Gonna have to rely on something else in the meetings, a chairde
He’s a blowhard, quick to admonish others that don’t gel with his own myopic, sheltered political biases. I’d destroy him if he held a position longer than it took to delete a tweet.
About as irish as St Patrick
We’ll take kelly. The Americans can have our dumb ass taoiseach Kenny.
They are about as much Irish as I am Jamaican
fekin irish – always trouble!!!
I wonder… if you are born in Ireland, that doesn’t make you necessarily Irish, neither does it if you lived your whole life in Ireland, nor if you Irish parents or ancestors. I am curious what makes one Irish or any nationality.
Ask @James Odin
I’m pretty sure his one and only requirement is being white.
Bryan have you been triggered?
@Liviu Flore: It’s a very good question. Horses get away without all this stuff, unless they have an Irish passport. Even then they could be of Arab stock born in Riyadh but owned by someone here.
Hit s sore spot?
I would be quite happy for someone to say they are Irish, if they were born here, have lived here or one of their parents are Irish. At least something where they have been exposed to our culture and may have adopted some of the mannerisms, accent, sayings or outlook in life.
However, having a temper or arguing in public is not particularly or peculiarly Irish and is certainly not a genetic trait passed on for seven generations.
@James Odin
*yawn* you Reddit trolls have zero imagination. 0/10. Try harder.
About as Irish as Mahatma Ghandi was! Trump does not like interviews with difficult questions..
Hillary flocks to them, as we know. I’m sure you could link me an example of Hillary facing tough questions on a news network. I’ll wait.
@A hater:
Pointing out a deficiency in one of the candidates does not mean the poster supports the other.
Some right wing nonsense spouting D4 variant of Irish, sure.
The same D4 that had the highest support for gay marriage in all of Ireland? All right wing nutters for sure!
Ireland doesn’t have a right wing and everytime someone tries to establish one the so called “anti”-fascists beat them up and obstruct people’s rights of assembly.
Boo hoo! Poor James Odin is being oppressed everyone. Be super duper nice to him, you know how sensitive and thin-skinned the fascists are.
@Donal O’Leary: you are making yourself out to be a proper knacker
@Bryan Kelly: A certain irony in calling someone a fascist just because they disagree with you
Such binary thinking is sort of fascist
It’s not fascism. There are some admirable elements of fascism. What you’re describing is bigotry and has only been found left of the divide in the past 70 years.
100% correct James. Ireland has central/left and full on left. Also, antifa have proven to be incapable of rational debate on conducting themselves nonviolentyly. The only political violence in south of the border has been committed by leftists. Destruction of property during gay marriage ref and expected to be a lot more come a referendum regarding the 8th ammendment.
@A hater – can”t think of too many, TBH. Fascism is the 1st cousin of communism. Both are totalitarian, leftwing, statist ideologies, very dangerous for free trade and religious + individual liberty.
@Bryan – honestly I could write the script for you over emoting lefties no matter what the topic. ‘Racist’, ‘bigot’, ‘fascist’. That about covers it. Clowns with tourettes.
And conservatives lose their minds if you use a singular “they” and send violent death threats to children who don’t stand up for a song.
Yup…it’s the liberals who are overly sensitive.
Sup the whole country except one constituency voted for equal marriage. On other issues D4 is patronising to people who aren’t globalists and uber liberals
Her youngest is named Thatcher, enough said.
wally will be delighted they made up.. a big p*ss up at AAA headquarters to celebrate.
Racists! They are no more Irish than that idiot Bill O’Reilly
@JFN – to call someone a racist without any evidence is a disgusting slur.
Cheers for sticking up for us Graham! Couldn’t do it without you, you channel hopping fairy
Americans…
Willing to blow anyone out of the water. Come on, try me. Defend your political opinions or I’ll reveal them as.emotional, reactionary nonsense.
@A hater:
You follow David Duke on Twitter. Enough said about your allegiances and “political opinions”
@A Hater
I’ve a question for you.
Why do you sound like a cartoon superhero? Why do you and your ilk (David Duke fan says it all) always sound like that.
The pseudo-intellectualism coupled with the absurdly inflated rhetoric and feelings of self-importance speaks of massive insecurity.
Maybe try and improve yourself rather than just spouting whatever nonsense you get from the former KKK Grand Dragon.
Hannity has gone full Trump. At least Kelly tries to be impartial.
Horseshite
Seems at this point you can only be Irish if you’re living, working and paying taxes elsewhere.
Out makes me sick to my stomach to share my heritage with these two disgusting pigs.
*It
@Philip – in the disgusting stakes, you’re way ahead of them.
@Squarepeg01: oooooooh, burn…..
Tim Kaine used the same line to explain his interruptions in VP Debate
have your say