While the act of solicitation, prostitution and brothel keeping remains illegal this debate will always be present.
While on the one hand it is good to see the gardai being proactive in tackling street prostitution, "every action has an equal and opposite reaction" in that it will no doubt, while the demand exists, push it further underground which unfortunately has negative consequences for the girls and punters, thus swelling any campaign against this line of work/recreation that it is sordid, dangerous and against the better good.
I think some previous posts have debated this topic very well but what I am finding it hard to understand is how any organisation such as ruhamma can offer the girls a sustainable alternative, or choice as it has been previously described. The reasons for street prostitution are lengthy and well known and the traps once in the scene for the girls are just as numerous..... However these are powerful vices/traps and difficult to "walk" away from....
If ruhamma or any other organisation is that concerned with the welfare of the girls then targeting the punter "to remove the demand and no demand no service needed", will NEVER work and will NEVER eliminate street work. So it will NEVER fulfil it's mandate.
To provide a safe environment of good welfare and choice for the girls, while at the same time providing protection for the punter, brothels MUST be legalised and regulated.
By doing so, safe systems of work which can be reviewed, adapted and improved will exist which means that the "standard of life" will only ever improve. By legalising and becoming Legitimate businesses, the girls can work safely in conjunction with the law, improving relations with each other thus building trust, the girls can work in a healthier clean environment, receiving regular check ups, tests and even compensated treatments if required, and thirdly the government can take a revenue in the form of normal business taxes.
For the punter it also means, enjoying the experience, in confidence that it is as safe as can be.
This as we all know is ideal, but can be achieved with proactive intelligent thinking, sadly something that lacks in our policy makers.
But to play devils advocate, by carrying out legalisation of brothels, it can have negative consequences for the independent girl..... So no doubt another debate would ensue there.... ;-)