Very important- please get involved with the government consultation and submissions!

[TonyB]

I know I'm new here but have heard adverts on the radio that are obviously utter shite.
Thank you for this info, I'll definitely act.

[Jack in the Box]

All the people who use this forum please take heed of the voices of reason from several posters on this thread. Look up the links on this thread and email in your opinion to: justiceanddefence@oir.ie

There will be time enough to talk about football and the weather after the 11th of August.

[the traveller]

I've emailed TORL to advise them of the danger their approach risks, so its open to them to reply or not.

I've taken this from the Prostitution Consultation: Legalisation and Regulation which is a reply from a fada 1 email as above.

Thank you for your email. The Turn Off the Red Light campaign originated out of research commissioned by the Immigrant Council of Ireland which sought to find a solution to the growing problem of sex trafficking in this country. That research "Globalisation, Sex Trafficking and Prostitution: The Experiences of Migrant Women in Ireland" can be found online here: http://www.immigrantcouncil.ie/image...NGTH_FINAL.pdf . The findings of this report dispelled the myth that human trafficking does not occur in Ireland, by uncovering concrete evidence of 102 victims of this crime detected by front line services over a period of less than 2 years. What was most shocking was that 11 of these women were children at the time they were trafficked. Since the launch of this research, two consecutive annual reports published from the Department of Justice confirmed the prevalence of sex trafficking in Ireland, with 55 victims detected in 2009 and further 56 in 2010. We are extremely concerned that 15 in the 2010 report are children, and 14 of them were found in brothels. These numbers are by all means an underestimation of the real scale of human trafficking in Ireland, since they are only based on the number of women who managed to escape.

While there are a minority of women who work independently in prostitution and profess to be happy and comfortable in their situation, their voice is used to silence the much larger majority who's path into prostitution begins with little or no element of true self-determination. Most women become involved in prostitution because of lack of choice and many are groomed, pressured and/or coerced by pimps or traffickers. It is well documented that a majority of women in prostitution are poor, homeless and have already suffered violence and abuse throughout their life. Many enter prostitution before age 18. Once in prostitution, 9 out 10 surveyed women would like to exit but feel unable to do so. Traffickers recruit these women through deception, force and coercion. Traffickers pray on the vulnerability of people, the same way pimps pray on the vulnerability of women in prostitution. They exploit their situation of poverty, isolation and fear and bind them to their sickening business, pretending to be their friends and saviours. Once in Ireland trafficked women are being handed over to Irish pimps, and end up in indoor prostitution to be sold to Irish clients – over and over again, for the profit of the agents.

These women are the real face of prostitution, but they do not have readily available access to internet, and do not post on the forums of escort sites, therefore it can be easy to forget them.

Those who say prostitution is a job would find it hard to justify the extensive physical and emotional damage women in prostitution suffer. International research shows that mortality in prostitution is ten times higher than that of the general female population. Other reports exploring the emotional trauma sustained by women in prostitution speak of post traumatic stress disorder that appears at the same rate as it appears among soldiers who have participated in combat. Furthermore, women are living in constant fear of violence from procurers and buyers.

Once again,thank you for your email. If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to send them to me.

Best regards,

It seems to me that there are lies,dammed lies and Ruhama facts and if you shout those lies as facts long enough and loud enough someone with the power to do something will believe them.

If those lies are not exposed for what they are we will all be railroaded into into a state where paying for sex will be the only illegal form of sex between consenting adults.

In the recent "information gathering exercise" of over 100 visits not one trafficked worker was found, how can that be when according to TORL the majority of sex workers are trafficked?

I urge all members of this site to make a submission using the links above or, as another poster has stated, this site will become just another talking shop.

[lazarus]

Thanks for the reminder Jack !! Again an attack against the personal freedom, as expected by neoliberal governments.better they continue to organizing bailouts for their bankster friends !!

[Half Man and Half Dildo]

While there are a minority of women who work independently in prostitution and profess to be happy and comfortable in their situation

This is one of TORL's key arguments so it is vitally important that the independent escorts prove that they form the majority of those in prostitution. They also refer to it as work which is something they refused to acknowledge previously.



I don't think people here realise just how broad the legislation can be. For starters the Government knows that due to the nature of the internet and how it works it cannot successfully block sites like E-I on a long term basis, but it's quite possible that it would be made a requirement under the new legislation for all the Irish ISP's to report the IP addresses of customers that access these sites. Your freedom to engage in even harmless banter on these forums could be curtailed, let alone anything else.

[Jack in the Box]

Looking at the email from TOTRL in your post The Traveller, you can see the way they are using words to decieve people. There is a big difference between many and most. "Many" could mean 3 for example. They are trying to give the impression that most sex workers are child abuse victims or are forced into the business by gangsters or have mental health problems which is not true. Certainly if sex workers and their clients enjoyed the protection of the law it would not be true. Also what job does someone enjoy every minute of the day?

It is up to all escorts, clients and other users of this website to stand up to this propaganda and and send in a submission before the 11th of August.

[mellors]

Have read it now. The Minister seems to be genuine and open to different viewpoints rather than being dismissive and going for the easy 're-elect ' me option.
Have sent him my 10 cents worth. Its only a few minutes of your time

[Jack in the Box]

Fair play to you Mellors. Others using this site please do the same. He seems to be giving the public a fair hearing in contrast to certain other zombie "representatives".

[mellors]

I know its not always easy for escorts to participate in this, but i feel its an excelent opportunity for escorts to put their side of the arguement, after all, if some get their way it may well impact on your business

[Jack in the Box]

All escorts out there please make your opinions heard and make a submission to: justiceanddefence@oir.ie

The more that this is done the harder it is for Ruhama and the Immigrant Council of Ireland to claim that sex workers are helpless victims.

It will only take up a small bit of your time and will yield big results. Please tell this crowd where to go who are interfering in the lives of consenting adults!!