One fifth of sex workers say they have been sexually exploited by gardaí
Based on interviews of 25 sex workers, the report said some garda members were abusing them and threatening them with imprisonment and 'on a number of occasions blackmailing some of the participants into exchanging freedom from any charges for sexual favours'.
People should be legally allowed to purchase sex and laws introduced five years ago criminalising the act need to the repealed, according to new research.
The study says a fifth of sex workers interviewed — five out of 25 people — disclosed they had been sexually exploited by gardaí.
The report asserts there is “a clear problem” in the justice system if garda members exploit vulnerable people.
The research was conducted by a team from University of Limerick and Limerick City Community Development Project and independent human rights and community activists.
The report strongly criticises the 2017 Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, which criminalised the purchase of sex, but also decriminalised the sale of sexual services by a person.
The Department of Justice, which provided funding for the research, is currently reviewing the act.
“Our findings show our current law on sex work negatively affects lives, safety, and wellbeing of sex workers,” said Anca Minescu, lead author and lecturer in psychology at UL.
"Portraying all sex workers in Ireland as ‘exploited victims’ and the way the gardaí are interacting with the street sex workers contribute to violence and stigmatisation.”
She added: “This enables very serious incidents of Garda misconduct against sex workers, including sexual assault and verbal abuse, and false legal information surrounding sex work.”
Based on interviews of 25 sex workers, the report said some garda members were abusing them and threatening them with imprisonment and “on a number of occasions blackmailing some of the participants into exchanging freedom from any charges for sexual favours”.
The report said there was a “deep mistrust” of gardaí among participants . It said sex workers felt discouraged to report crimes, including rape, to gardaí.
Report recommendations include:
- Full decriminalisation of sex work, including the purchase of sexual services;
- A clear distinction between sex work versus sexual exploitation and sex trafficking;
- Safe working conditions, including the ability to organise collectively and work together in a safe environment (such as a shared house) — requiring the Department of Justice to revisit or reverse laws on brothel-keeping;
- An end to policing of sex workers by gardaí, an “immediate end” to all patrols targeting sex workers;
- An independent investigation into why current misconduct procedures “fail to hold gardaí responsible”.
The report said services treat all sex workers as “exploited victims”, instead of treating “sex work as work”.
It pointed out the majority of participants were on the “survival line” and that some experienced homelessness and poverty, as well as abusive relationships.
The report said sex workers needed a range of psychological, social, economic and legal supports.
In the last year, An Garda Síochána published a specific policy on abuse by gardaí of their position for sexual gain, with any allegation now investigated by the Anti-Corruption Unit.
