by Alan Jacques
LEVELS of online prostitution in Limerick are now 500 per cent higher than Derry and other cities in Northern Ireland where new legislation was introduced last June making it illegal to pay for sex.
Last week the Immigrant Council of Ireland carried out a review of escort agency websites, which found that 55 women were advertising sex for sale in Limerick compared to eight in Derry, three in Armagh and three in Newry.
Campaigners are now calling on all Limerick TDs and Senators to ensure swift implementation of a new Sex Crimes Bill to prevent sex buyers and pimps from Northern Ireland using the South as a safe haven.
“Five months after Northern Ireland moved to smash the business model for pimps, traffickers and thugs, it seems clear the evil sex trade is seeking to exploit the differences in law between the two jurisdictions,” said Immigrant Council of Ireland chief executive, Brian Killoran.
“In the absence of sex buyer laws, Limerick has become a hotspot for prostitution and the crimes associated with it. While these figures are just a snapshot of online activity they are in line with similar reviews carried out at the time the Northern Ireland laws came into force on June 1 last.
“Prostitution is a vicious, brutal and exploitative criminal enterprise which must be shut down by targeting the source of the cash involved. These findings show that we must act without delay to ensure that there is no safe haven for pimps in Limerick or any other part of our island,” he declared.
Fianna Fail Justice spokesman, Limerick TD Niall Collins says that there is a well organised criminal network profiting from subjecting women and men, often minors, into prostitution.
“Many of these vulnerable people have been illegally trafficked here to work as prostitutes and are being forced into doing this against their will. People who describe it as the oldest profession in the world need to wake up to the scale of criminality involved,” said Deputy Collins.
“I have spoken with former sex workers and prostitutes and their life stories are very disturbing. Over the lifetime of this Dáil, I have been calling on the government to introduce legislation to curb this activity and to penalise the sex purchaser. While this hasn’t totally eliminated the problem in other jurisdictions, it has gone a long way to addressing the issue. Hopefully the government will see sense soon and bring forward the legislation,” he concluded.
