Sex worker in Ireland: New law has made my business more dangerous

A sex worker says they need to be consulted when the Irish government reviews the 2017 Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act this year so that workers are not further disenfranchised by fines, arrest, or deportation

There are very serious risks of violence and abuse in sex work and we have no real avenues for protection or support, other than other sex workers. But that too is impacted by the law. File photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

I’ve been a sex worker in Ireland since 2015. 

In 2017, a law was introduced with the publicly stated intention of protecting people like me but instead, it’s actually making us less safe, and in fact has increased the risks of violence, abuse and isolation.