ย 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 Gardaรญ tackle the sex trade.
It follows a motion from retired detective Cllr Sean Lynch (FF) at this month’s meeting of the local authority thatย also called for legislation to criminalise the purchase of sex as a means of targeting โthe demand element of this industryโ.
Cllr Lynch said that prostitution in Limerick city is a serious social problem, involving โhorrific abuse of women, men and children, many of whom have been trafficked into the city for these purposesโ.
He told the meeting that while investigating prostitution cases in Limerick, he was called to a flat on Mount Kennett street โwhere we received reports of a child prostituting herselfโ.
โWe 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 childโs room.
โNew legislation is only as good as it is enforced. At present, An Garda Sรญochรกna, the HSE and the Department of Social Protection are doing their best to address the situation with limited resourcesโ.
He added that Doras Luimnรญ and other groups are โdoing tremendous workโ helping victims of prostitution.
Cllr John Gilligan (IND) said he disagreed with criminalising the purchasers of sex only.
โCriminalise both of them โ it doesnโt make sense otherwise. Itโs equally wrong for those who sell it and those who buy it,โ he said.
Cllr Cian Prendiville (AAA) said that new sex industry legislation should be accompanied by investment in โsupport services for prostitutes or sex workers that offer multilingual services such as healthcare, contraception, English language lessons, counselling, access to specially trained Gardaรญ to report violence, sexual violence or theftโ.
He added that anyone wishing to exit the sex industry should be aided by state services โthat provide housing, jobs or training and to ensure that no woman, man or trans person working in the sex industry is deportedโ.
Reacting to the council move, Doras Luimnรญ chief executive Karen McHugh said: โOur 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.
โIf 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 councilโs decision and we would urge the Government to implement the Sexual Offences bill, with the requisite support services, without delay.โ
