trafficked women?

[Sexy Sandy 69]

If anyone currently visits an escort whom they suspect is trafficked, they can report this anonymously by ringing a confidential telephone number. When this law comes in, if guys have visited anyone they suspect is trafficked, never in a month of Sundays are they ever going to ring & report this, confidential phone line or not. Therefore, when Ruhuma proclaim that this law will protect trafficked victims, it will not, they are going to be trapped with no-one willing to report their plight. How can this aid or assist trafficked victims? I've also said this many times before, who is helping those trafficked into farming/catering/childcare? No-one, as these industries don't sell as many papers or make the headlines as much as the sex industry does.

I find the idea of trafficking as abhorrent as anyone else, however, this law does not solve or help trafficked victims. If Ruhuma truly want to help trafficked victims they would listen to the arguments of sex workers, but they don't & never will.

Sandy x

[Davidontour]

I agree completely, its not the law i would bring in and wont tackle these issues.
My note i suppose was more to point out that the risk of trafficking still exists and may even today in ireland to the poster who asked and just a hope that at least this flawed law would be used to tackle such an issue rather than the escort industry and their clients.
In a further point the opinions unfortunately expressed on this site can sometimes appear to dismiss completely the chance of exploitation or trafficking and that just cant be taken for granted.

I do agree and there can be no doubt that coercion exists in the industry, though on nothing like the scale or nature claimed by the NGOs. These need to be tackled on a case by case basis and already incur extremely harsh penalties.

The problem is that certain parties, largely driven by a bizarre coupling of SWERFs and religionists, are using the issue to press forward their abolitionist agenda. Sweden introduced their law in the name of equality, the Canadian senate have made no secret of the fact that they want to (naively) ''eradicate prostitution.'' We can at least admire their honesty.

The Irish however, have preferred to lie about their intentions, deliberately giving the impression that coercive trafficking is a huge issue here (see my signature for just one example of why it isn't). The true reason is a moral disapproval of sex work, whether it's religious prudery or the notion that denying women agency over their own bodies is somehow ''fighting the patriarchy.''

Frances Fitzgerald thinks that ''sending a message'' is more important than keeping sex workers safe. Maurice Morrow thinks that voting in a law during a year when there hasn't been a single case of trafficking for prostitution somehow makes him comparable to William Wilberforce. And numerous NGOs are salivating at the thought of free money for doing next to nothing other than making up statistics and jetting off on junkets. Say what you like about the English but at least they had the common sense to throw this stuff in the bin last year. The Irish...well we already know the answer.

[Meursault]

In a recent survey, out of those who participated, less than 1% said that they had been trafficked, which means that the other 99% work of their own accord. However, if you talk to Ruhama, they assume that we are all trafficked, they do not believe that any escort works of her own free will.

Sandy x

we are all prostitutes. we are all trafficked in some way. people dont realize they are under duress of their boss or partner. Freedom, no such thing exists.

[Davidontour]

we are all prostitutes. we are all trafficked in some way. people dont realize they are under duress of their boss or partner. Freedom, no such thing exists.

Excellent view and excellent quote Meursault. Too bad such concepts are beyond the mental capacity of the average Dail or Stormont member.

[mexicanpete]

Besides all the talk about trafficked women, there is a lot of talk about gangsters. Over the years I have helped a few of the 50/50 contract girls come back as independents. Initially, I was nervous as they would use the same name and photos that they had while working under contract. I was expecting some kind of backlash from the 'gangsters' but nothing ever seemed to happen, not even a bad fake review. This told me two things. Firstly, the girls had no fear of their former employer and secondly, the former employer did not see the girl setting up as an independent to be a major threat to their income.

As far as I can see, these 'gangsters' have no shortage of girls eager to work for them and no shortage of paying clients. Why then would any gangster be interested in trying to bring in uncooperative trafficked girls with all the attendant risks when there is so much money to be made from willing girls?

[Catriona]

Besides all the talk about trafficked women, there is a lot of talk about gangsters. Over the years I have helped a few of the 50/50 contract girls come back as independents. Initially, I was nervous as they would use the same name and photos that they had while working under contract. I was expecting some kind of backlash from the 'gangsters' but nothing ever seemed to happen, not even a bad fake review. This told me two things. Firstly, the girls had no fear of their former employer and secondly, the former employer did not see the girl setting up as an independent to be a major threat to their income.

As far as I can see, these 'gangsters' have no shortage of girls eager to work for them and no shortage of paying clients. Why then would any gangster be interested in trying to bring in uncooperative trafficked girls with all the attendant risks when there is so much money to be made from willing girls?

What's funny about this is often when I have debated Ruhama or others at student debates, such as Mia De Faoite who worked on the streets many years ago say there's no true independents out there and are really constantly being threatened by "gangsters", getting knocks at their door etc. This is when they get really desperate in their arguing and know their losing.

They'll say anything to win people over to their ideology.

[ford pefect]

I also have never encountered an escort who I thought was being forced into anything,I am sure a lot of them would prefer not to have to do this for a living , but they do have a choice.
I have listened to the arguments that there are trafficked escorts but I don't see any proof, and I hope I'm correct

[Sexy Sandy 69]

They'll say anything to win people over to their ideology.

That's just it Catriona, it's their ideology & it's a totally fabricated ideology. I'm not saying that there are no pimps or trafficked women, there are trafficked victims, just not to the extent that Ruhuma suggest. There's stats out there that wholeheartedly contradict their argument & prove that although trafficking is a problem, it's not such a vast problem as Ruhuma have led the general public to believe.

There's also the argument that many girls are happy working for a pimp/agency & when they were brought into a country, they knew that they would have to work to pay off their debt. There was a BBC documentary that went undercover in the brothels of Soho, the reporter spoke to many escorts & not a single girl wanted his help. They said that they knew that they would have to work in the sex industry & that they had this debt to pay off. They accepted their situation, this situation was better for them, they would rather be working in the sex industry in the UK than be working in their homeland.

These girls, like many throughout the world, including myself working in Ireland don't need rescuing. I am happy working for myself in Ireland. I will leave this industry when I want. Ruhuma can offer me nothing, but I do take offence at being classed as not working of my own free will. I am working of my own free will, some may struggle with this concept, but their struggle at accepting my choice of career is not my problem.

Sandy x

[JAMESCORK]

Besides all the talk about trafficked women, there is a lot of talk about gangsters. Over the years I have helped a few of the 50/50 contract girls come back as independents. Initially, I was nervous as they would use the same name and photos that they had while working under contract. I was expecting some kind of backlash from the 'gangsters' but nothing ever seemed to happen, not even a bad fake review. This told me two things. Firstly, the girls had no fear of their former employer and secondly, the former employer did not see the girl setting up as an independent to be a major threat to their income.

As far as I can see, these 'gangsters' have no shortage of girls eager to work for them and no shortage of paying clients. Why then would any gangster be interested in trying to bring in uncooperative trafficked girls with all the attendant risks when there is so much money to be made from willing girls?

I wont say I have directly helped, but I have given advice and information to a number of girls myself to come here and work as indies. There are some girls posting here that started out as "assisted" and now are happily indie. Once a girl gets to know the lay of the land, the language and a knowledge of renting accommodation, many do go it for themselves. Then there are others that prefer the full package and are happy to continue as before. Its knida like booking a summer holiday... Do you want flights, transport to the apartment and accommodation all included in the deal or do you prefer to privately book each separately. Sometimes I like the ease of the full package holiday...

I do know of one girl tho that has to work secretly for fear of her former "madam", but in this case she owed monies for accommodation etc... When I say in fear it was more of a nuisance than an actual "fear"...

[Catriona]

I think this article is a very good article about how "assisted" girls start out.

http://behindtheredlightdistrict.blo...ution.html?m=1

Regarding the Swedish Model as an ideology - it's a terrifying one, which wants to abolish prostitution at all costs even if sex workers are collateral damage. The head of the prostitution unit in Stockholm and the government believes that if sex workers experience violence as a result of the model - all the better as it will force them to leave. Homelessness, no medical access or benefits when sex workers are unable to work - anything to make the life of sex workers unbearable.

Migrant sex workers are then conflated with trafficked persons and find themselves often facing deportation. I've had friends who went to Sweden and found themselves deported because they had sex toys and lots of condoms in their bag.