Originally Posted by
mexicanpete
What is this trafficking thing? Are the contract girls who come here on the 50/50 deal considered to be trafficked? I have met hundreds of girls over the years but I am certain that I have never met any girl who did not understand exactly what she was getting into when she came to this country.
Girls tend to open up to me quite easily. I think that I am instantly recognisable as ‘harmless’. I have had many contract girls complain about paying 50% to tour organisers and a couple have complained that they were expected to see too many clients but that is the worst that I have heard.
I am absolutely certain that if I came across a girl who was performing under duress, I would sense it and she would find a way to let her predicament be known to me. The most amazing aspect of the escort scene for me over the last few years has been that all the girls are happy to relax and enjoy themselves. This does not fit with my concept of trafficked girls.
The new law that they are bringing in is ostensibly to protect all these trafficked women. Where are they? Has anyone ever met one?
ps. I am not here very often so I apologise if this topic has been done to death aready
I would entirely agree. None of the sex workers I've met appeared in any way coerced and in most cases were more than happy to chat openly and often well over the appointment time. They complained about time wasters, 'do-gooders', the new law and in one case about a reporter, but none of their words or actions suggested coercion.
Probably not that surprising when the actual figures are looked at. According to TORL, there were ''87 trafficked women selling sex in Galway'' just before Christmas, yet when the Gardai raided 23 premises nationwide the following week, not a single trafficked women was found.
It comes down to definition. Legally, coercion needs to be proved and since the majority of sex workers in Ireland are not coerced, the NGOs need to justify their funding by redefining trafficking as simply the movement of sex workers. Unfortunately these definitions are not made clear and the public have little real knowledge on the subject.
The problem with NGOs focusing almost exclusively on sex work and deliberately giving out misinformation is that genuinely coerced victims in other areas, such as labouring, agriculture and childcare are often missed.
Sooner or later there will be an expose done on the trafficking issue, but in the meantime the ones who suffer are the sex workers who are there by choice. For certain organisations, that is of course the whole point.
Last edited by Davidontour; 02-03-15 at 16:38.
2014 in Northern Ireland:
Number of reported attacks on sex workers 70
Number of sex trafficking cases ZERO