People who trivialise prostitution ‘ignorant of reality’

People who trivialise prostitution are “ignorant of the reality” that powerful criminal gangs are abusing and trafficking young women onto Irish streets.

Fianna Fáil’s justice spokesman, Niall Collins, was dismissive of people who labelled prostitution as the “oldest profession in the world”.

Gardaí are still trying to establish who placed a bogus traffic sign on Catherine St in Limerick City which identified the area as a “red light district”, claiming it was “open Mon to Sat from 18.00pm to 04.00”.

Prostitutes converge on the street every evening, it was noted, and many have apartments where they sit, scantily clad, at windows.

Mr Collins said the only way to tackle prostitution was to copy a Swedish model and criminalise the purchase of sex. “In Sweden, prostitution has reportedly been reduced by 70% through legislation.”

Mr Collins said he was shocked at what he had witnessed in Catherine St with his wife.

“I was going for a meal with my wife recently and we both could not get over how young the girls were, who were working as prostitutes. It is tragic.

“The Government needs to act now. The Oireachtas committee report has been finalised and I will be pressing for legislative action when the Dáil resumes after the summer recess.

“When the Oireachtas committee held its hearings on prostitution, we were told harrowing stories from these girls and young women.

“People should realise 99% of these women have been abused and trafficked into this country. They come from very deprived circumstances.

“These people have been abused and subjected to violence from an early age and forced into prostitution. They use pseudo names and the younger they tell clients they are, the more business they get.

“A girl who claims she is 14 told us she would be very busy.

“All this thing about it being the oldest profession is total rubbish and such comments are made out of ignorance by people who don’t understand that these young girls and women are controlled by well-organised, sophisticated, vicious criminal networks.

“Men going out looking for a prostitute should be very aware that the woman they are paying is being coerced into this and the proceeds go to well organised criminals.”

Mr Collins said the problem was very serious in Limerick.

“I will be raising the situation in Limerick when the Dáil resumes as legislation is now a priority and the government must act and bring in legislation along the lines of that enacted in Sweden.”