Prosecute men who pay for sex, doctors urge

MEN who buy sex should be prosecuted to act as a deterrent to prostitution and human trafficking, according to a number of public health doctors.

Dr Fenton Howell, a public health specialist with the Health Service Executive (HSE), said criminalising the purchase of sex in Sweden had led to a reduction in the level of prostitution and in the illegal importation of women.

Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) in Killarney, Dr Howell urged delegates to support a motion calling on the IMO to support the Turn Off the Red Light campaign organised by Ruhama, an Irish non-governmental agency working with women affected by prostitution. The campaign calls on the Government to introduce legislation making it illegal for men to buy sex.