Prostitution series - industry needs to be regulated

PROSTITUTION is reputedly the oldest of all professions and, as today’s investigative series shows, it is now a flourishing business in Ireland.

In clandestine brothels, more than 800 women are offering sex for as much as €400 per hour.

Loopholes in Irish law allow prostitutes to use the internet to broadcast scantily-clad pictures and advertise services, prices and mobile phone numbers.

Trafficking is another worrying aspect of the industry. Vulnerable women, lured here with the promise of a job, can end up being forced to work in the sex trade.

Lack of sexual health screening also contributes to the growing incidence of sexually-transmitted disease.

For the safety of the women involved and for the protection of the public at large, some means of regulating the industry should be considered and the subject opened up to debate.