Group reports increase in number of sex workers accessing support services

The amount of women in the sex trade accessing support services increased by 37% last year, according to Ruhama.

Ruhama, an organisation that offers support to women in prostitution and sex trafficking, is calling for increased penalties for the pimps and traffickers who are profiting by exploiting women.

CEO of Ruhama Sarah Benson says fines need to be increased and jail time should be looked at.

She said: "What we would really like to see is the full resourcing of the new Garda bureau which is dealing with all forms of human exploitation, including prostitution and trafficking.

"We aren't seeing those that are actually organising this doing any jail time, and that is something we would like to see more of. Those are the ones who are actually profiting and feeding off this."