Food for thought.
By criminalizing the punters it will be difficult for the law to take the numbers from escorts who haven't broken the law. The fact that we, the criminals, phoned them would not constitute a case where their SIM card could be blocked.
Maybe our phones could be blocked as we were attempting to break the law using our phones. Proving that we just didn't get a wrong number might be difficult for the prosecution so maybe there are problems enforcing the proposed laws.
However with punting phones no longer a possibility we might be more vulnerable to being identified in investigations.
Escorts may have to resort to answering private numbers. Would that solve the problem?
Cable87 (29-07-13)
First of all I believe that if a number is being used to advertise prostitution then the Gardai will have it blocked notwithstanding the fact that the advertiser of said number has been decriminalised.
Decriminalisation is nothing more than legal manoeuvring by legislators and NGO's which allows them to pursue their "prostitute-as-victim" ideology, on its own decriminalisation offers no benefits to the sex workers at all, not when everything else will be illegal - renting, advertising, phones, etc.
But not to worry, the rate of technological change always outpaces legislation.
Cable87 (29-07-13)
Well also any indoor sex worker working alone with clients is not criminalised in law now any way!
While this new proposed law is about raising new revenue streams for NGOs and punishing sex workers even more than clients, decriminalisation is the constitutional minefield it will fail on - How can a phone number be taken from a non criminal? How can a non criminal be thrown onto the streets by a landlord? How can it be illegal to buy a service legally offered for sale?
None of those things are constitutionally possible, how could they be?
The easiest rule to get around would be the phone restriction one in any case, just buy a UK sim in Tescos in Newry and punters do likewise or get one here while it's still possible without having to register!
Cable87 (30-07-13), FetishCherry (30-07-13)
I hope you are right, but I doubt it because:
If a phone number is being used in the commission of a crime the Gardai could have it blocked regardless of who owns that number.
If prostitution occurs on a rented premises the owner of the property will be forced to evict the tenant or face prosecution themselves. The landlord may not want to do this, but the law will force them into this course of action.
If the proposed law is to fail it will probably do so on the legal to sell \ illegal to buy provision.
Maybe I made this point before, but... by the same reasoning shouldn't all paper, pens and postage stamps be registered?
I would have thought that a crime has to be proven to have taken place and suspicion without it being proven in court is not sufficient! Also will 'prostitution' as such become a crime under the insane recommendations, it's again more or less everything to do with prostitution related activities rather than 'prostitution' per se, when you really boil it down.
Cable87 (30-07-13)
You make some relevant points here, but remember that the issue here isn't just about the use of a phone in commission of (an alleged) crime, it's also the invasion of privacy that's at stake. Even if it wouldn't or couldn't stand alone as 'proof' that you went for a punt with an escort if the Swedish Model should end up come in, it almost definitely would be used as strong supporting evidence which would be difficult to argue your way out of, as all new SIMS would have to be registered and ID shown in order to purchase it. It could be a strong additional tool for the proponents of the Swedish Model to use against both punters and escorts.