by Kathy Masterson
LIMERICK City and County Council has joined the fight against prostitution with a call on the Government to allocate more resources to help Gardaí tackle the sex trade.
It follows a motion from retired detective Cllr Sean Lynch (FF) at this month’s meeting of the local authority that also called for legislation to criminalise the purchase of sex as a means of targeting “the demand element of this industry”.
Cllr Lynch said that prostitution in Limerick city is a serious social problem, involving “horrific abuse of women, men and children, many of whom have been trafficked into the city for these purposes”.
He told the meeting that while investigating prostitution cases in Limerick, he was called to a flat on Mount Kennett street “where we received reports of a child prostituting herself”.
“We found out that the girl was actually 19, but she was dressed to look like a ten or 11-year-old, and her bedroom was adapted to look like a child’s room.
“New legislation is only as good as it is enforced. At present, An Garda Síochána, the HSE and the Department of Social Protection are doing their best to address the situation with limited resources”.
He added that Doras Luimní and other groups are “doing tremendous work” helping victims of prostitution.
Cllr John Gilligan (IND) said he disagreed with criminalising the purchasers of sex only.
“Criminalise both of them – it doesn’t make sense otherwise. It’s equally wrong for those who sell it and those who buy it,” he said.
Cllr Cian Prendiville (AAA) said that new sex industry legislation should be accompanied by investment in “support services for prostitutes or sex workers that offer multilingual services such as healthcare, contraception, English language lessons, counselling, access to specially trained Gardaí to report violence, sexual violence or theft”.
He added that anyone wishing to exit the sex industry should be aided by state services “that provide housing, jobs or training and to ensure that no woman, man or trans person working in the sex industry is deported”.
Reacting to the council move, Doras Luimní chief executive Karen McHugh said: “Our clients are very vulnerable individuals who have experienced severe abuse and exploitation ov
er a prolonged period of time. They require a range of supports, including physical and emotional support, psychological assistance, advocacy, financial support and maintenance.
“If people are to leave exploitation behind, they require a range of holistic support services, this includes support from the state to live independently. We welcome the council’s decision and we would urge the Government to implement the Sexual Offences bill, with the requisite support services, without delay.”
