Delayed review of prostitution in the Republic of Ireland
2025-03-27
elrond
Nearly five years after its initial deadline, the long-awaited review of the Sexual Offences Act 2017 has been published, revealing a significant missed opportunity to fully decriminalize the sex trade and enhance the safety of sex workers.
The review, mandated to assess the impact of the 2017 Act, which criminalized the purchase of sex while decriminalizing its sale, was plagued by delays. .....
Irish law is failing
2025-03-21
elrond
Despite their presence, sex workers in Ireland remain largely invisible, facing severe stigma, structural violence, harassment, and assault. They are further marginalized by a government that refuses meaningful engagement and by laws that endanger their safety.
Since 2017, the criminalization of paying for sexual services, coupled with increased fines and jail sentences for "brothel kee .....
Review into sex work law to be published later this year, four years after initial deadline
2024-02-28
elrond
The long-awaited review into Ireland's sex work legislation, promised for years, remains elusive, with the Department of Justice dragging its feet yet again. Despite repeated assurances, the report won't see the light of day until later this year, causing frustration and anger among stakeholders.
Staff at the Department of Justice, apparently suffering from chronic procrastination, h .....
Criminalising purchase of sex, such as in Ireland, increases risk of violence, says Council of Europ
2024-02-17
elrond
The Council of Europe (COE), a prominent organization dedicated to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law on the continent since its establishment in 1949, has consistently advocated for the protection of marginalized groups. Among these, sex workers often face stigma and violence, exacerbated by laws criminalizing the purchase of sex, as highlighted by COE's Commissioner for Human Righ .....
Escorts sent death threats after replying to text scam
2024-02-06
elrond
In a recent attempt to prey on escorts, scammers masquerading as representatives of a prominent advertising platform have sought personal information from individuals in the escorting community. Despite these challenges, escorts are resilient and proactive in protecting each other.
Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI), emphasized that non-national escorts were .....
No sign of review into Irish sex work law - over three years after it was due to be published
2024-02-02
elrond
No progress has been made on reviewing Ireland’s sex work legislation, more than three years overdue. The Department of Justice is yet to announce a timeline for completion, although Justice Minister Helen McEntee is expected to decide soon. The legislation, which criminalized the purchase of sex in 2017, faced criticism from groups like the Sex Workers Alliance of Ireland (SWAI), advocatin .....
Review of prostitution laws to tackle sex-for-rent demands
2023-09-19
elrond
The government's approach towards addressing demand for sex through prostitution laws is appropriate and requires legislative action. According to Helen McEntee, the Minister of Justice, a tender will be released this week to hire a leading researcher to conduct a comprehensive review of existing prostitution laws, which are governed by Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) 2017.
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The Ireland Sex workers alliance calls for review to be scrapped
2023-07-16
elrond
The mandated review into the 2017 Sexual offenses act was due three years after the legislation was implemented. This act made it a criminal offence to purchase sex, along with other regulations which made it harder for prostitutes to work together in safety. The individual in charge of the review has left the project. The review is now over three years late. SWAI are concerned the review i .....
One in five sex workers sexually exploited by gardaí, report finds
2022-08-25
elrond
Garda Headquarters has defended how officers interacts with sex workers, after a report published on Thursday claims some gardaí have sexually exploited, discriminated, and inflicted trauma on people working in the sex trade through “aggressive tactics”.
Entitled I Must Be Some Person: Accounts from Street Sex Workers in Ireland, the report, which is based on interviews wi .....
Widespread tributes paid to the late Dr Vicky Conway
2022-07-27
elrond
The Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI), which promotes the human rights, equality and participation of sex workers, said it was “absolutely devastated to hear this news”. Dr Conway “was an incredible ally to sex workers, hosted several sex workers and allies on her Policed in Ireland podcast and was a massive pro-choice legend with Lawyers for Choice,” SWAI tweeted.
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