Ann Murphy: Irish 'safe haven' could also deliver vulnerable refugees to sexual predators
People fleeing Ukraine have found safety in Ireland and elsewhere, such as in Germany where this family have arrived. But, from commercial sex traffickers to opportunists seeking sex in lieu of rent, predators are waiting in the wings. Picture: Markus Schreiber/AP
As the flow of refugees from Ukraine makes its way across Europe, homeowners are opening their doors to take in thousands of women and children.
While the UK is offering homeowners a £350 payment a month through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, no such payments are being made to Irish people.
But still, more than 20,000 people are willing to register with the Irish Red Cross to welcome Ukrainians into their homes or into their holiday homes.
Many more are housing refugees from the war-torn region through unofficial channels such as relatives and acquaintances.
People fleeing the terror are taking up offers of accommodation they have found through the many Facebook groups set up to help the Ukrainian refugees.
Some people here in Ireland are making offers available through classified advertisement websites which are commonly used on the continent — including one person who has offered accommodation to a “slim Ukrainian” woman with the expectation of sex “after a while”.
After that advertisement was revealed in the on Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described it as “morally reprehensible”. He said that people offering homes to Ukrainian refugees will be vetted.
Vetting, however, will not ensure beyond all doubt that Ukrainians taking up accommodation offers will be safe from exploitation — either sexually or through labour.
It will only cover those offering accommodation through official channels such as the Irish Red Cross.
It will not cover those on Facebook groups or classified advertisement websites, for example.
The vetting procedure will also only determine if people offering the accommodation have a criminal record.
Social Democrats housing spokesman Cian O’Callaghan said: “Vetting is the most basic level of checking. It establishes if someone has a conviction.
"While somebody could be vetted, they could still pose a threat to someone’s safety.”
The advertisement for the accommodation in Clare for a “slim Ukrainian” woman was still online as of yesterday — a week before the Ban on Sex for Rent Bill 2022 goes to second stage in the Dáil on March 23.
The bill was brought by Mr O’Callaghan on March 8.
A quick scan of sites hosting such ads yesterday showed a number of them, despite the progress of the legislation seeking to ban both the practice and the advertising of such arrangements.
One of the online advertisements states: “Room to rent, would suit fit, submissive woman who would like to trade in return for lodgings. References required".
The room, in Naas, Co Kildare, is offered for €1 per month.
Another on the same site reads: “Room available. Please contact for more details. Female only.”
A property in Mallow, Co Cork, is available for “adult fun”, according to the advertiser when contacted for information about the property, but he says rent would also be considered.
It is ironic that the Ban on Sex for Rent legislation was brought on International Women’s Day, given that the majority of people targeted in sex-for-rent propositions are women.
One Italian woman, Chantal, who told her story to the , was propositioned by three different landlords when responding to rental advertisements on Facebook rental groups for accommodation in Dublin since the start of the year.
She described the legislation as the best gift she could have received on International Women’s Day.
The legislation, which seeks a seven-year maximum prison sentence and a €50,000 fine as penalties, is unlikely to be enough to stamp out sex-for-rent offers, for a number of reasons.
• Firstly, such arrangements are not always offered in an advert regarding a rental opportunity.
The Mallow property advertised in recent days is offered to females only and does not ask for a specific rent.
It is only when contacted by a prospective tenant that the offer of “adult fun” is introduced — and only after several attempts by the prospective tenant to establish what rent is required.
Initially, the advertiser said he was “open to offers” when asked how much rent was required, but eventually, after constant requests from the prospective tenant, he said that “some arrangement between us could be done, depending what u look like. Or else cash offer.”
He went on to suggest “adult fun”, but did acknowledge that he may consider cash offers instead.
• Secondly, advertisers either use a pseudonym or a first name only, and do not advertise the exact location of a property.
This would make it difficult to prosecute if an exact location and identity are not identifiable.
Some prospective landlords do make the location available but others demand photos or commitment to engaging in barter-type arrangements before even sharing photos of the properties.
• Thirdly, people targeted with such propositions will not always be willing to go to gardaí.
One Irish student who responded to an advertisement on a website offering a property for rent in Waterford, left the house last October on her very first night in the property after it emerged her landlord wanted her to engage in sexual acts with him.
That woman told the she had not gone to the gardaí, even though the man went to her workplace the following day to look for her.
She said: “I wanted to report him to the police but like, I really don’t know what I would’ve said to the police because everything happened so fast.”
Chantal, the Italian woman, didn’t go to the gardaí because she wanted to forget about the experience once she found a suitable place to stay.
Mr O’Callaghan knows that legislation is not enough to tackle the sex-for-rent issue and says action needs to be made on tackling the housing crisis.
According to the most recent Daft.ie report, published over a month ago, the national average rent per month was €1,524.
Mr O’Callaghan said: “Legislation is only a part of this but it is sending a signal from the legislature and from society that this absolutely is not on, making it abundantly clear that will be a criminal offence."
Chantal said: “People need to know what kind of hell is for us, expats from all over the world, often young professionals that want to work and start a better life, when we come here in Ireland.”
She added: “I am from Italy and we know Ireland as an advanced country that can hold several opportunities.”
For the many Ukrainian women and children coming to Ireland to escape the war in their home country, Ireland is also being seen as a safe haven.
But with concerns raised about trafficking gangs targeting them, and advertisements aimed at Ukrainian women with sex-for-rent offers, could some be facing into a new type of hell?
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