Government must revisit refusal to criminalise purchase of sexual services – Senator Mullen

16/04/2009

‘Glib, laddish responses show failure to take human trafficking seriously’

Independent NUI Senator Rónán Mullen today called upon the Government to revisit its refusal to criminalise the purchasers of sexual services – in the light of the success of Swedish and Norwegian efforts to combat human trafficking by criminalising the purchase of sex.

Senator Mullen spoke today during the launch of a report by the Immigrant Council of Ireland – ‘Globalisation, Sex Trafficking and Prostitution: The Experiences of Migrant Women in Ireland.’ The report found that there are over 1,000 women in indoor prostitution in Ireland at any one time and chronicles the major exposure of women trafficked for prostitution to physical violence, rape and gang rape.

Senator Mullen said during the launch that legislation criminalising the purchasers of sexual services would help make the country a ‘cold house’ for traffickers, as had happened in Sweden. But he had been disappointed last year when he tabled amendments to the Human Trafficking Bill by the response of people ‘in high places who should know better’ to the proposal to criminalise the purchasers of sexual services. “I met with spurious arguments that criminalisation might drive the problem further underground, that women were choosing prostitution freely - for example to supplement student income, or that it was the oldest profession in the world and couldn’t be tackled.” 

“These glib, laddish responses reveal a failure to take human trafficking seriously,” Senator Mullen said. He welcomed the call by the Immigrant Council of Ireland for legislation criminalising the buying of sex and noted that the Norwegian parliament had recently adopted similar legislation.

“It is time for our Government to revisit the issue and to overcome its reluctance to legislate. It is an urgent matter of human dignity.”

Senator Mullen also asked why so few people were being allowed to avail of the ‘recovery and reflection period’ established last year to assist victims of human trafficking. He questioned whether senior Gardai were the people best placed to decide whether people they were investigating met the necessary criteria. 

“The Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill currently before the Dail will provide legislative underpinning for the recovery and reflection period but significant amendments will be necessary since the system isn’t working properly at the moment. 

Senator Mullen endorsed calls at the launch for the involvement of non-governmental organisations working with trafficked persons in determining their eligibility to avail of the recovery and reflection period. “It is a matter to be kept completely separate from the investigation and prosecution of the traffickers themselves,” Senator Mullen added.