A petition has been launched asking the Irish Government to take down a web site that allows men to review the female escorts they have paid for and slept with.
Escort Ireland has a database of over 600 women and a handful of men, all seemingly from abroad, offering their services to clients all around Ireland.
Most reviews are five stars and give clients the opportunity to rate the accuracy of their escort’s photos, their physical appearance, the location, satisfaction, value for money and their overall experience.
Many rave about the escort they’ve slept with; “they say perfection is impossible to attain Brooke comes dam [sic] close” one declared but others are more cutting.
“Worst rushed service a man could recieve [sic].. angry face hurry up and cum after 4 mins and dont [sic] even attemp [sic] to touch me in any way,” one complained.
“She hardly spoke in the time I was there,” reviewer irishblueeyes2012 wrote after rating his overall experience one out of five.
“I felt like she didn't care or put much effort into it at all,” Fun999 lamented.
Another advised, “u are really stuck some nyt [sic] for a ride id [sic] say yeah but thats [sic] all.”
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Escorts have the right to respond to bad reviews and one woman wrote that her client came off as “aggressive” and “i confess that i've got a bit scared because of the way he was talking to me.”
The petition has received close to 15,000 signatures and Chloe McKintyre, who created it, said she did so because, “purchasing sex already contradicts true sexual consent, and it is clear in some of these reviews, that the men are aware that the woman was not 'into' the sex, or was 'unwilling' or 'unenthusiastic' not to mention 'unresponsive.'
“As a woman, and as a feminist, I do not want to live in a world where women's sexuality can be bought and rated by men,” she concludes.
However, Kate McGrew from the Sex Workers Alliance of Ireland rejected her claims.
Speaking to IrishCentral she said, “The government made it illegal for sex workers to advertise in Ireland and so we are dependent on these sites to sell our services. If you want workers to have more control over our work then you must allow us to operate lawfully. We are very concerned with the author of the petition saying our consent means nothing, as that leads to actual violence. When I say yes to sex for money that is me giving consent. If I say no at any point, or am forced to against my will, even as a sex worker, it must be understood that this is rape."
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Escort Ireland did not reply to IrishCentral’s request for comment but a spokesman for the Department for Justice underlined that advertising sex for sale is a crime.
“It is an offense in Ireland to advertise the services of a prostitute under section 23 of the Public Order Act 1994 with a penalty of up to €25,000 where convicted on indictment. We are not in a position however to offer legal advice regarding the challenges associated with bringing prosecutions against online advertising sites hosted outside the State.”
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