Irish charity Ruhama has expressed their hope that the review of current sexual offences legislation will result in improved law enforcement and greater public awareness around the issue of prostitution in Ireland.
In a statement to The Irish Catholic, Ruhama Communications Officer Aimée Miller said, “Ruhama has a firm belief that the best practice legislative approach is one rooted in the Equality/Nordic model in the way that the 2017 legislation is. However, we hope that the operation of certain elements can be improved in relation to the enforcement of the law and to increasing public awareness which is currently very low. This will allow for greater success in achieving the objectives of the law in respect of combating trafficking for sexual exploitation and the direct physical and psychological harms of prostitution.”
Speaking to the specific changes they’d like to see come about as a result of the review of the operation of part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, Ms Miller identified greater resources and further training for Garda in their efforts to enforce the current law, as well as provision for exit supports for those in prostitution across the country.
Speaking of the ways in which the current legislation has affected women working in prostitution since its passage in 2017, Ms Miller said, “women who use our service and have been subjected to aggravated violence in prostitution have reported experiences of better outcomes in the criminal justice system while others have reported feeling more confident to report these incidences to An Garda Síochána now that they have been explicitly decriminalised for the sale of so-called sexual services following passage of the 2017 legislation.”
