Review reveals shocking details on prostitution

Clare Senator Martin Conway believes a change in the country’s prostitution legislation is necessary to criminalise the buyers with a view to reducing the demand.
The senator, who is also seriously concerned about the level of prostitution operating in Clare, sits on the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, which is currently reviewing prostitution legislation.
As a member of this committee, Senator Conway has heard some shocking submissions and what he has learned of prostitution in his own county has disturbed him greatly, leading him to the firm belief that a change in legislation is required.
The senator said he is well aware of “prostitution going on in Clare”, where he says there is anything up to 10 prostitutes available for sex in the county in any given week.
In recent months, gardaí successfully prosecuted two women operating from an Ennis location under prostitution legislation. Both women, who were Romanian nationals, received a 10-week prison sentence at a sitting of Kilrush District Court, having pleaded guilty to a charge of living off the earnings of prostitution.
“The victims are the ones that were jailed. They were easy targets,” said the senator.
“It’s absolutely horrendous to think that this is going on in our town. It’s desperate to think that; it’s not the girls because they are the victims. It’s the people who are paying for the services who are exploiting women and are funding crime and these are so-called respectable citizens in the community. The only way to deal with it is to criminalise it. The people that went to jail in that court case a few weeks ago were the victims and the perpetrators were able to walk free,” he said.
Having researched the situation in Clare, Senator Conway said, “People don’t realise what’s going on”.
“There is a website that’s based and registered in the UK and if you click onto it, you can pick any county in Ireland, and it will tell you who are the prostitutes that are in Clare at the moment, or the ones that are scheduled to come to Clare. I’m aware that on a regular basis hotels and apartments in Clare are used as a base for travelling prostitutes.
“They could start in Dublin for three or four days, then Carlow, then to Clare. All transportation is arranged by the pimp, who gets a cut out of it. You could get anything from, at a quiet time, four prostitutes advertising their services in Clare and that could go up to 10, depending on whether it’s busy or quiet,” he said.
Senator Conway said he first became aware of the extent of prostitution in Clare following a Primetime Investigates programme, which examined the issue. When he became senator, he was moved by the Turn off the Red Light Campaign was in full swing and “bought into it”.
“I really think that if the Government do nothing else but criminalise the people who use prostitution, they will be doing vulnerable women a great favour,” he added.
The justice committee was tasked by the Minister for Justice to undertake a review of the legislation into prostitution following briefings by The Turn Off the Red Light Campaign to the Oireachtas.
This campaign involves a conglomerate made up of a number of organisations that are seeking an end to prostitution and sex trafficking in Ireland. Local organisations involved with the campaign include Clare Women’s Network, Rape Crisis Mid-West and Doras Luimní.
The Justice Committee has held hearings with various interest groups since December 2012 and in the next three to four weeks they are due to make a set of recommendations, which would advise the minister on the heads of a bill that would be introduced.
“Over the last couple of months the committee has been meeting, hearing submissions from people in the medical profession, in the various support groups for those engaged in prostitution and we’ve heard from the vice section of the gardaí. We’ve also met women who were prostitutes but who are not anymore and heard their harrowing stories of being gang raped. These were private hearings about them being totally abused. it was awful stuff.
“Then we also heard from women who are currently prostitutes. They gave their side of the story. Quite frankly, I would hope that what they are telling is correct but one has to always be suspicious that they are being put up to it,” Senator Conway outlined.
The committee has been assessing a Swedish legislative model, which has criminalised the users of prostitutes. According to Senator Conway this idea will form part of the committee’s recommendation.
“That particular system has effectively closed down the prostitution industry in that country. The biggest fear with prostitution in this country is that there are women being trafficked against their will from their homelands into Ireland where they are prisoners and effectively are human slaves. The pimps and traffickers are criminals, but the people who use prostitutes and pay for sex are funding criminality. It’s widely believed that a significant portion of the money earned by prostitutes ends up funding the drugs gangs,” he said.
He explained the benefits of the Swedish model and why, in his view, criminalising the users would help decrease demand, which would have a knock-on effect on the supply. He fully accepts that it will not lead to stamping out the industry completely but believes it would go a long way towards it.
“First thing that will happen if the users are criminalised is there will be a serious deterrent. That will eliminate probably 60% to 70% of it. That seems to be the Scandinavian experience,” he said.