Protection for sex workers

[BACMAN36]

Looks like the fight is over. Time to hang up the "punting bag"



Nurses have backed calls for the Government to close a legal loophole which a number of organisations say has allowed a seedy sex industry to flourish.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said women forced to work in brothels all over the country are trapped in a life where threats, violence and abuse are widespread.

It is one of 48 trade unions and organisations which want legislation to grant sex workers immunity while those who buy sex are prosecuted.

While it is illegal to solicit for sex on the street or in public, it is currently not a criminal offence to buy or sell sex in the Republic.

IMNO general secretary Liam Doran demanded Government action against an industry which has used the legal loophole to give it a cloak of respectability.

"At our AGM last year our members were fully briefed on the campaign and backed the involvement of the INMO in efforts to protect women from the dangers of being trafficked for the sole purpose of working in Ireland's sex industry," said Mr Doran.

"The only way to provide that protection is to cut off the demand with threat of prosecution for those who pay for sex.

"While the Government has made a number of commitments in this area, we have yet to see any action.

"We are asking the Minister for Justice to immediately announce a short public consultation on this issue and move swiftly to amend the law."

The IMNO is part of the Turn off the Red Light campaign which maintains it has the backing from 80 TDs and senators for their demands to criminalise prostitution in Ireland.




http://uk.news.yahoo.com/protection-...000945490.html

[Casanova007]

Liam Doran is a muppet.

[EnglishAlex]

Why don't these people listen to anything we have to say?

It absolutely sickens me that my clients would be criminals simply by coming to visit me.

How can The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and 47 other unions ignore that there ARE women who choose to do this job. It's our career, our profession! By choice that is. Too many of us are independent to sweep us under the carpet. We have rights, as do our clients.

Where is the money going to come from to enforce the proposed laws? Taxpayers who are already skint and going to be paying back their countries debts for the foreseeable future! Now you want to add to that debt by bringing in laws which haven't been thought out at all. Act in Haste, Repent at Leisure! The reaction of panicking doesn't work. Deal with the real problem: Human trafficking. It exists in all industries, not just the sex industry.

It makes sense to legalise the whole industry, make it as transparent as possible. The bad apples will stick out, unscrupulous people will be seen for what they are. The government gets us to pay tax and most importantly of all, people who want a bit of fun/stress relief/company in their own lives are free to visit the lovely ladies who want to be there.

In the words of Swedish Sex Worker Pye Jacobsen “Those feminists who have fought for women’s right to control our bodies and the right to say ‘no’ must also accept my right to say ‘yes’.” The unions should remember that we're workers with rights, just like they are. If they criminalise our clients for availing of our 'time and companionship' they're in effect starving us. Making us encourage people to break the law in order to survive.

It absolutely sickens me that my clients would be criminals simply by coming to visit me.

How can The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) ignore that there ARE women who choose to do this job. It's our career, our profession! By choice that is. Too many of us are independent to sweep us under the carpet. We have rights, as do our clients.

Where is the money going to come from to enforce the laws? Taxpayers who are already skint and going to be paying back their countries debts for the foreseeable future! It makes sense to legalise the whole industry, make it as transparent as possible. The bad apples will stick out. The government gets us to pay tax and most importantly of all, people who want a bit of fun/stress relief/company in their own lives are free to visit the lovely ladies (who want to be there) without risking a criminal record.

[Sexy Samantha British]

totally agree with you Alex.

they all spout this shit because we have no voice as we all lead double lives and if we stand up and speak out we would be slaughtered in the press our lives and families ruined. but its time we got pro active now, and stood up for our rights and let them know we wont be pushed around and treated like this any longer.

society has always had its whipping boy, first people of colour, religious beliefs, sexual preference. in time society learns acceptance. well now its time to accept us.

[GriffW]

Liam Doran is a muppet.

Yep, and we are all lemmings!

[doodlebug]

The trade unions are being sold on the idea of stopping trafficking and it is easy to say that is the main reason women work in the sex industry here in Ireland. If anyone does a serious examination of the trafficking statistics sex work is one of the lowest reasons of trafficking, the main ones being hospitality/hotel/restaurants etc. It is easier to target the sex industry as society views sex as something seedy, much more difficult to target trafficked women (and men) working for hotels etc as you might upset a few influential people. Also if you criminalize the sex industry it is the gardai who have to tackle the trafficking but trafficking in other sectors is the responsibility, initially at least, of the customs and revenue. Many of the legislators and influencers have nannies, and "domestics" working for them who may be slightly dubious and that is another reason not to tackle trafficking where it is most prevalent.

As Brock has pointed out in another thread, criminalizing the client may be unconstitutional as you can't have a legal retailer and an illegal purchaser, (sorry for putting it in commercial terms as it is people we are talking about.)

The problem with the constitutionality is that it will have to be challenged in the courts and that is a difficult thing to expect anyone to do, as well as costly.

For society to see the ladies who decide to willingly enter the sex industry requires people to break anonymity etc, and that is the circle that allows criminalization to flourish.

[pez]

I agree with you Backman36. Things do not look good. If the customer is hit with the chance of being hauled to court for buying sex then a lot of people will not take that risk. The vultures are circling overhead ready to pounce!

[beniktt]

I know this might sound like a silly question but how do we change it what can all of us do I will admit I have done a lot of talking like everyone else and have done nothing productive but I will also admit I am not in a position too.
So what are the options ??? Remember ponography was banned for years even condoms we got over this Why ??? Because the people who drive these laws are from a different era , Ireland is a young population much more open in discussions I have had with people they don't see the big deal with it they do with trafficking this is there main concern but this is shrouding the judgement.

[beniktt]

At the end of the day this is about protecting people the poor unfortunates but also I think the ladies that have chosen to do this work nobody should be judged wrongly for this.
So my question again !!! What do we do ????
We all loose in the end if we do nothing there is a certain TD who has shown his support for this industry why can't he be E Mailed by every single Lady working in this country to get him behind it 700 e mails will start a conversation at least and also the clients can do the same.

[EnglishAlex]

I know this might sound like a silly question but how do we change it what can all of us do I will admit I have done a lot of talking like everyone else and have done nothing productive but I will also admit I am not in a position too.
So what are the options ??? Remember ponography was banned for years even condoms we got over this Why ??? Because the people who drive these laws are from a different era , Ireland is a young population much more open in discussions I have had with people they don't see the big deal with it they do with trafficking this is there main concern but this is shrouding the judgement.

Any campaign to blacken our names should be fought with the truth! We need to have a strong Union in order to have a voice. Turn Off The Blue Light is playing a part but we're against 48 Unions here, our voice is currently small as we're all worried about the knock on effect that being exposed as an Escort will have in our private lives, as Sam said earlier in the thread.

Trafficking is prevalent in all industries, not just ours but again, as Sam pointed out - prostitution is the current whipping boy/girl not trafficking. The whole campaign is against sex workers but being dressed up as trafficking in order to get more people on the band wagon.