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Ireland’s prostitution laws to be radically overhauled to reflect internet age

Justice Minister promises reform and new legislation

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 7:40 AM

Updated Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 9:25 AM

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Irish prostitution laws must change to reflect the Internet era

Photo by La Clau

Ireland’s Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has said that the country’s legislation on prostitution needs to be radically overhauled.

Minister Shatter told a conference in Dublin that a review is needed to ensure legislation is sufficiently robust and flexible to address criminality in the modern-day sex trade.

He was speaking at a day-long conference on the future direction of prostitution legislation.

The Irish Times reports that Minister Shatter remarked: “Under current Irish legislation it is not illegal, in itself to sell sex. Generally, it is not illegal to purchase sex either.

“Prostitution has existed since time immemorial. The main reason behind the current review of Irish prostitution law is because the nature of prostitution had changed in recent years.

“Prostitution is no longer the street-based activity it was when the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 was enacted.

“Since then, it is fair to say that prostitution has largely, though not exclusively, moved indoors and the development of the internet has resulted in aspects of it being substantially web based.

“It is important therefore, to review our current legislation to ensure it is sufficiently robust and flexible to address criminality in the environment in which prostitution operates today.”

The Fine Gael Minister posed 14 ‘key questions’ to delegates including whether the law should criminalise those who pay for sex and if a ban on the purchase of sexual services might drive prostitution further underground making life more dangerous for sex workers.

The Irish Times also reports that the conference heard wide-ranging submissions from organisations including Ruhama, the Immigrant Council of Ireland and the Sex Workers Alliance of Ireland as well as public health representatives and academics.

The meeting was also addressed by Det Insp Simon Haggstrom of the Prostitution Unit of the Stockholm Police Force in Sweden, where the purchase of sex has been criminalised since 1999, and from Jack Verbruggen from the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice where prostitution was legalised in 2000.

Minister Shatter added: “This conference is an essential element, of what must be a balanced, fair and comprehensive review of the law on prostitution.

“A report on a recent public consultation process on the issue will be drawn up by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality by the year’s end.”

Nster.com

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8 Comments

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Searlit | Oct 17, 2012, 12:20 PM EDT

If men and women turn against each other, the human race is lost. Denying women equal protection, by allowing the violence and exploitation of women, keeps mankind's soul, in a state of prison. You can't separate the issue of prostitution, from the other issues of inequality, such as, equal pay, etc. It's not comparable to drugs. You used to be able to walk into any drug store , in the USA, and get any drug you wanted, without a prescription, until 1939. The previous generation decided they didn't want the next generation to have the same rights that they enjoyed. I read, it was customary for many old folks to smoke opium for their arthritis, before that time. Prostitution has always been illegal, for good reason. It's the lack of enforcement of the law to stop the trade that keeps it going.

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mamaginnty | Oct 17, 2012, 09:44 AM EDT

SingleDonald, very well said.

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IrelandNorth | Oct 17, 2012, 05:32 AM EDT

Ahhh! Prostitution - the world's second oldest profession after representative democracy (or ideological prostitution?) One of the hallmarks of an ideal Republic, according to Greek philosopher Plato, was that there should be minimal legislation, in that a true republic doesn't seek to control or manipulate its citizenry. Yet, for the small percentage of miscreants, some control is necessary. As non-ideal as prostitution (or drug addiction) is/are, there is an argument for legalisation to remove the criminal element. In an age when civic responsibility is at a low ebb, correlative with the predominance of a radically individualistic political economy, young men need to be taught responsibility sexuality from their year zero.

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cillowen | Oct 17, 2012, 12:27 AM EDT

shatter has more to say than true blue natives of which there are but zero.

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aloistmartin | Oct 16, 2012, 06:01 PM EDT

Ireland is the Prostitute and Enda Kenny is her Pimp !

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irishrose524 | Oct 16, 2012, 05:46 PM EDT

Well, I do think it should be legalized, then it can be regulated and the employees can be safer.

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SingleDonald | Oct 16, 2012, 02:14 PM EDT

This is a tough call, as I have previously said. Of course, human trafficking is abhorant, and should be stopped. Anytime women are forced into prostitution, as when men are forced into slave labor, these are degrading practices, which violate the human spirt. Street walkers, even when operating without a pimp, are often victims of drug abuse, and occasional violence. Places where it is legal, such as Reno, Nevada, and Holland offer the best protections, for both the sex workers and their customers. The hookers are medically examined, and safeguards are in place to prevent any violence from taking place. For the customers, they will not be robbed, or beaten up by any pimp. That being said, the objections come from those who feel that it is wrong for any government to sanction sex for money. It is true that these interactions should be based on affection, and, ultimately love. However, until every man in the world accepts that view, prostitution will be here to stay. Geraldo Rivera said, quite some time ago, that prostitution should be legalized, but confined to Red Light Districts. In these zones, protections for hookers and customers would be in place, along with regular medical exams for the hookers, to prevent the spreading of any sexually transmitted diseases. Of course, we must also consider the few gals who would pay for sex. They, as well as the male hookers (gigolos), would also be protected. It may well be time for the U.S., as well as Ireland, to consider changing the laws regarding prostitution. This is a realistic approach to an unpleasant social issue.

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Searlit | Oct 16, 2012, 10:43 AM EDT

Crime has been around since the beginning of time, does this mean all crimes should be legal now, too? If you call it legal, you have joined with the human-traffic criminal gangs, and you dishonor all women.

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