Calls to make buying sex a criminal offence

LEGISLATION making the buying of sex a criminal offence is urgently needed to prevent Ireland becoming “the red light district of Europe,” campaigners urged yesterday.

The call was made at the launch of a fresh initiative aimed at stamping out prostitution and associated problems such as human trafficking.

The campaign, called Turn Off The Red Light, aims to educate men about the domino effect of buying sex, including violence perpetrated against women and rampant exploitation, which is often carried out by criminal gangs.