Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister. I listened to almost all of the debate and I feel a little bit inadequate in addressing the issue given the poignancy and the power of the contributions made. I will reiterate some of the points because they are so important. I compliment the Independent Senators on bringing forward this motion so quickly. I thought we had just debated this issue recently. I did not realise it was six months ago so that will tell one how quickly time passes.

I was going to appeal for time from the Minister to do this right because there is no point doing it badly. When one looks at the list of measures in place, including legislative measures, administrative measures and so on, it is clear that this is a very difficult issue to tackle, so we must do it right. The Minister came back with a very fine response. He has taken it on the chin and he has said clearly what he will do. The consultation process will be completed by the end of May, there will be a conference in the autumn and a report by the end of December, or early in the new year at worst. This is good.

I was going to appeal for time for the Independent Senators but when I heard Senator Mary Ann O'Brien's contribution, I said it is not a day too soon. People are eating up our young people and our young people are eating up others. It is abhorrent that 19 year olds are buying sex. There is something wrong with our society if that is acceptable. These norms are wrong. I hope new measures will come out of the consultation process because let us face it, we are looking for something new. Despite all the measures - a national action plan, a high level interdepartmental group, a multi-disciplinary partnership group, awareness raising campaigns, training on the issue of human trafficking for law enforcement, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) 1993 Act and the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 - prostitution still happens. We are not saying it will completely go away but currently it is rampant.

Young women are being trafficked throughout the country and some are children. There must be a multi-pronged approach between the Departments of Justice and Equality and Education and Skills. There is a place for this in education. We have the relationships and sexuality education curriculum. The education of our young males is critical but so too is that of our young girls because grooming happens when someone is very young. When grooming happens and when there is an incident very early in a young boy's or a young girl's life, some feel unworthy. They are made feel special and they do not have the self-esteem to counteract it. We must include this in the relationship and sexuality education curriculum, certainly at upper primary school level. I know that perhaps this would be controversial and it would have to be done in an age appropriate way but as the Minister said, this is evil and we must decry and abhor it in the strongest terms.

I refer to Garda resources. The Minister pointed to extra resources, which I acknowledge, but is there enough flexibility to respond to the gangs quickly? I spoke to a detective recently who said their hands are often tied. For all crimes, the key time period after the incident is 48 hours but with prostitution and trafficking, it appears to be within an hour of a call to a Garda station.

I could make points about the Swedish model but they have been made by others. The Swedish model appeals to me at one level because the person selling the service is in trouble in any event. I support what Senator van Turnhout said that it is not just an act of self-determination by the prostitute or the person providing the service who is already in trouble as a result of poverty, addiction or mental health issues, who has been the victim of trafficking and violence and who may have had to suffer an abortion as a result of the heinous act. The two-pronged approach of the United Nations is that we deal not only with harm reduction but with harm elimination because we must take care of the public health issues.

It is good that it appears the House has united on this issue. We have many problems but it appears we are united in the decision to deal with this issue seriously and that 2012 is the year to change things for the better. The Minister has the support of the House and I wish him well in the consultations.