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.

Dr Howell said: “At the moment it’s illegal to solicit sex but not to buy sex. It’s almost bizarre, it just doesn’t make any sense, this is really stupid.”

Dr Mathew Sadlier, a senior registrar in psychiatry, said the levels of women now being trafficked were higher than during the slave trade. The motion was passed.

Delegates also heard that patients face delays for common medicines, including the contraceptive pill.

Dr Bernard Ruane, a Tralee-based GP, said it can take up to three days for pharmacists to restock, which may effect a patient’s birth control plans.

Motions were also passed in relation to public health initiatives, including a call on the HSE to introduce healthier hospital canteen menus and for the construction of 50-metre swimming pools in cities and certain towns.

The IMO conference continues today.