The recent Westminster decision has to be a factor here. The type of arguments TORL use were effectively torn to shreds in one short speech by one Labour MP and the accompanying amendments taken straight out of the equation. Most horrifyingly for TORL, actual evidence had been looked at and sex workers listened to. Both those factors are the kiss of death for abolitionists and the current campaign, hysterical and ridiculous even by TORL standards, has to be a reaction to that.
I don't think anyone seriously believes the Dail will have the good sense to heed the facts any more than Stormont did, but the Westminster decision is a huge elephant in the room.
2014 in Northern Ireland:
Number of reported attacks on sex workers 70
Number of sex trafficking cases ZERO