Ruhama

[UKHeather]

Brilliant and powerful ideas ladies. I love to see real "girl power". Not the pseudo empowerment being pushed by the TORL, which is essentially saying to all escorts regardless of circumstance and choice, that they "will save you from yourselves". Which is another way of them saying - do it our way or it's the highway for you!

As has been already pointed out, Ruhama are unlikely to change anything. Afterall their funding depends on them spreading the lie that every escort in Ireland is trafficked and coerced. I do believe that Sarah Benson has actually refered to you all as "take away meals"!!!! However, it would be good for you to stick it to them.

I think LaBelle's suggestion of writing to TD's is very good. However, may I suggest that you preface the request for transparency on Ruhama funding by blantantly stating that Ruhama is not representing you the independant escorts and is going to make your life a whole more dangerous and reduce (rather than increase) your options.

Morph. I do believe that Sarah Benson would be more happy to see me scrubbing her kitchen floor for less than minimum wage than she is to see me making choices about my own life and how I choose to support my family. Sex work has paid for my children to be University educated and there is not a thing she could say to me to convince me that is wrong!

[Banjaxed]

Morph. I do believe that Sarah Benson would be more happy to see me scrubbing her kitchen floor for less than minimum wage than she is to see me making choices about my own life and how I choose to support my family. Sex work has paid for my children to be University educated and there is not a thing she could say to me to convince me that is wrong!

No one cares about Benson's kitchen floor. The question is can I scrub your kitchen floor by making a choice about my own life even after being university educated ? :-)

[UKHeather]

No one cares about Benson's kitchen floor. The question is can I scrub your kitchen floor by making a choice about my own life even after being university educated ? :-)

Yes. Bare arsed if ya like.

[LaBelleThatcher]

Morph. I do believe that Sarah Benson would be more happy to see me scrubbing her kitchen floor for less than minimum wage than she is to see me making choices about my own life and how I choose to support my family. Sex work has paid for my children to be University educated and there is not a thing she could say to me to convince me that is wrong!

Never a truer word...you remind me of a true story from before the 93 law...the different problems people use sex work to solve and the way it is possible to wind up without a lot of choice even when the end of the world is nowhere near at hand.

There was a super lady...very middle, if not upper middle, class, widow, nice house, adequate income...just one small problem, her children, a boy and a girl, were twins and they both got university places at a time when fees were higher and there was little or no grant provision at all.

So she go out on the street and sold sex to put them both through uni...I suppose a "true feminist" of the time would have refused to encourage the sexual exploitation of women and upset the gender balance of society and sent the boy to Uni and the girl to work for Dunnes Stores?



...cos scrubbing floors for Sarah Benson's mum certainly wouldn't have put two young people through Uni.

[doodlebug]

I think that TDs need to be asked to get rhuama to justify their funding, their last accounts showed they had received over two hundred thousand euro in state funding and had helped (according to their own figures) 22 ladies, do the maths there, not exactly value for money. Any NGO that has a surplus in excess of two hundred thousand in the bank in this day and age should be asked where they are getting or more importantly how are they spending their money.

[LaBelleThatcher]

I think that TDs need to be asked to get rhuama to justify their funding, their last accounts showed they had received over two hundred thousand euro in state funding and had helped (according to their own figures) 22 ladies, do the maths there, not exactly value for money. Any NGO that has a surplus in excess of two hundred thousand in the bank in this day and age should be asked where they are getting or more importantly how are they spending their money.

In the last available breakdown (2008) the TOTAL state funding was way over €600k, and the turnover was only slightly lower last year...it is an incredible amount of money for them to waste on opposing their own user group.

The Genesis project in Leeds provides the same services to sex workers as Ruhama and the WHP combined, for half the cost of Ruhama...something is VERY wrong there.

[Banjaxed]

Yes. Bare arsed if ya like.

I shall forward my CV in due course.

[Half Man and Half Dildo]

Ruhama want to end all prostitution, and by extension put themselves out of work.

zeal·ot/ˈzelət/
Noun:

A person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.

[Morpheus]

Well done sexwork.ie!! They are way ahead of the posse and have already applied via the Freedom of information act for Ruhama funding details.


http://sexwork.ie/


Unfortunately as has been pointed out on sexwork.ie, they have ommitted all the big funding information.!!!!!! They have also ommited any information regarding salaries!! In the current time of economic recession where public funded individuals have to justify their pay, I think this information should be made public.

I hope sexwork.ie can pursue the matter further with the Freedom of information act, as Ruhama has blantantly withheld the main information requested!

Well done Sexwork.ie again. You are doing a great job.

Incidentally I was looking through one of the documents from the early 2000's with the trustees signatures - and they were almost all Nuns or associated with a religious order of some sort!! They may have now cut down to 3 nuns (on the last count) but clearly are still the force behind Ruhama. I wonder if the Magdalene survivors know about the Ruhama's associations and whether they might seek redrees from them?? Afterall if you move your assests from one organisation to another in order to avoid liability, isn't there a case for the victims to seek their redreess with the new organisation? (Probably not, but I would love if that were to happen).

[Laura Lee]

I'm looking forward to that myself, it ought to make for an interesting read.