The PSNI stated last year that the majority of sex workers are there by choice and there is no reason to assume that the situation is any different over the border.
Last month, Gardai raided 22 premises being used for sex work, but didn't find a single trafficking victim. Notably, in the same week, TORL claimed there were 87 trafficked women selling in sex in Galway alone. Something doesn't add up.
Genuine coercive trafficking is an extremely serious offence carrying harsh prison terms. The figures indicate that such cases represent a very small minority of sex workers here. The question is should police resources be focused on the vast majority who are consensual adults or should they be focusing on helping the small minority who are in real danger?
2014 in Northern Ireland:
Number of reported attacks on sex workers 70
Number of sex trafficking cases ZERO