Turn off the lights on prostitution

Anyone shocked by the storylines of RTE’s Love/Hate has an opportunity to channel their anger to deliver a real blow against the pimps, traffickers and organised criminals bringing human rights abuses into our communities in real life.

In the next two weeks politicians on the Oireachtas Justice Committee will begin hearings on our outdated prostitution laws and examine if exploitation, abuse and trafficking can be ended by targeting those who purchase sex.

The fact the Criminal Assets Bureau estimates the so-called ‘trade’ generates up to €250m a year for those behind it shows our laws do not work. This will come as no surprise to the many people who have discovered a brothel is operating in their apartment block, housing estate or street.