by Alan Jacques
MID-West migrant rights organisation Doras Luimní has welcomed the Government’s Criminal Law (sexual offences) Bill and its introduction of sex buyer laws.
Included in this bill, published last Thursday, is the decriminalisation of the sellers of sex, the criminalisation of the buyers, strengthening of the laws on child grooming, and additional measures to ensure that offences will be easier to prosecute.
Doras Luimní CEO Karen McHugh said a “milestone” had been reached in the efforts to combat human trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced prostitution. She believes that this timely piece of legislation will now help eliminate some of the barriers facing women who are trapped in a cycle of exploitation.
She explained: “We know through our direct support work that women in prostitution face a multitude of issues, not least the threat of criminalisation. Under the old legislation, it is neither illegal to buy or sell sex, but the associated activities are criminalised – soliciting, loitering, or living off the earnings of prostitution. These are all offences that disproportionately affect the sellers of sex, who in the vast majority are women.
“By decriminalising the sellers you immediately increase their chances for successful long term exiting. We have never viewed women in prostitution as the source of the problem; many come from disadvantaged and challenged socio-economic backgrounds. Most engage in prostitution purely as a means of survival; others do so to support their families who are financially dependent on them; and others are trafficked and are forced into prostitution,” Ms McHugh commented.
She went on to claim that girls are trafficked into and around Ireland at a young age and are commercially sexually abused until they reach the age of sexual ‘consent’.
“They then miraculously appear on street corners selling sex for themselves. Their traffickers, or groomers, albeit less visible, are making huge profits from these vulnerable young women over a prolonged period of time,” she concluded.
