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Laura Lee

A letter to The Irish Times

Rating: 8 votes, 2.00 average.
6 Comments
by
Laura Lee
, 28-08-12 at 20:57 (2333 Views)
A Chara,

I am an Irish sex worker of 17 years experience and although I now live in Scotland, I lived and worked in Ireland until 2003.

The current consultation around paid sex is in danger of being derailed. Much of the "evidence" is badly presented and seriously skewed. One of the chief advocates for criminalising the consensual and essentially private acts we engage in is Ruhama, who have based their campaign on the following statement - "75% of all sex workers enter the industry as children". That statement is based on a study (Melrose, 2002) which had as its subjects a mere forty six women, three quarters of whom were engaged in street work. As only 10% of all sex work is conducted on the street, the 75% figure is not statistically allowable. It is being manipulated purely to create a moral panic. It is not based on fact.

Some facts - 81.7% of Irish clients said they had never met an escort they suspected was being physically abused. (Irish Escort Clients Survey, 2006).

Following decriminalisation in New Zealand, 93.8% of sex workers reported feeling that they had health and safety rights under the law ( Abel, Fitzgerald and Brunton 2007).

In the UK, 440 sex workers were interviewed and only 7% reported that being paid meant that they handed control over to the client. 85% of the women were aged 26 and over. 32.9% of the women had degrees whilst 18% held post-graduate qualifications (Jenkins, 2009).

Ireland has for many years laboured under the shame of its treatment of unmarried mothers in Magdalene laundries. It is time to stop marginalising and stigmatising sex workers who, ultimately, are inheriting identical practices.

The International Union of Sex Workers campaigns for the human, civil and labour rights of those who work in the sex industry, and for policy which is based on evidence. Evidence, please.

Is mise le meas,

Laura Lee
International Union of Sex Workers
Tags: iusw, ruhama
Categories
Escort Industry Ireland

Comments

  1. experiencedguy's Avatar
    Thank you.

    At last, a coherent voice willing to stand up to the idiocy that Ruhama proposes, and even more powerful because it comes from one of the people they're purporting to represent.

    I include myself in those that are unwilling to stick their head above the parapet.

    It's completely inarguable that criminalising either sex workers or punters will result in safer streets, given the New Zealand statistics, but this is preaching to the converted.

    Kudos to you, M'Lady.
  2. toya's Avatar
    thank you with your brilliant blog
  3. GriffW's Avatar
    Well put. Did they publish your letter?
  4. oilampdave's Avatar
    Well done Laura Lee for trying to bring the other side of the sex worker to the general public in your letter to the Irish Times. However, I think your use of statistics as your main argument is flawed because for every satistic you quote I'm sure there is a conflicting one.
    I think we all need to ask to ask ourselves what our aim is in bringing in this law.
    Are we trying to put a stop to a woman, or a man, being forced into a work situation against their will or because there underage? Yes, I think anyone with the smallest sence of right and wrong can see that this is wrong and thoes that exploit and use these people should have the full force of the law put on them. And the victims of this abuse should have the full protection of the authorities and agancies like Ruhama.
    But is it right to tell a punter he/she is breaking the law because he pays someone for sex. Someone (an adult) who has decided to 'rent' their body for whatever reason. Yes, they may have become a sex worker because they lost their job, or to put food on the table, or to provide for their family. How many of us go to work each day but would prefer to be working at something else?
    Ah! But these woman are been exploted for sexual pleasure by men??? Is an artist being exploited because someone buys his art ! Is a model being exploited because someone buys the clolthes she models ! Why is it ok for a model to use her body and looks and rent it out to a designer or magazine to help sell clothes or a carpenter to use his hands to make something to sell..!!
    So, why is it not ok for a woman to use her body and looks, and charge for the service, for someone to get pleasure from??????
    I'll tell you why........because it's morally wrong. It's something dirty ! to 'pleasure yourself ' or have someone 'pleasure you' is wrong, it's dirty. So we bring in a law and justify it with our own morals (our attitude to sex) and the very serious issue of Child Abuse and Human Trafficing to deny two consentual adults enjoying each others company for money.
    Somethings I think we still live in the dark ages.

    Keep up the good fight Laura Lee. People like you will always make a difference.
    D x
  5. doodlebug's Avatar
    Magnificent blog, although the statistics can be countered by other doctored figures the fact that a sex worker has come forward to debate Rhuama's flawed basis is good in itself.

    Have a look at Rhuama's annual report for 2011 it makes for interesting reading they engaged with 22 new cases over that year, and yet they still have in excess of 200 000 in the bank, this is crazy funding for such a low return.

    Their own figures make a lie of the statistics that they are quoting and they should be challenged at every opportunity.
  6. Laura Lee's Avatar
    Thank you all for your kind comments, they are very much appreciated x