Ms Margaret Martin:

The serious thing we were concerned about relates to that piece of work in terms of lover boys. That is happening in Holland. Over there, young girls are being groomed when they are very young and going to school by young men who are five or seven years older. They might take them when they are on the mitch. We referred to an article that goes through this in some detail. It is clear from talking to our support workers that similar things are happening to some extent here. What was interesting about Holland is that it is a country that has taken a different approach from the Swedish approach. It has not addressed the demand and it still leaves a huge number of women very vulnerable. That was the concern.

On the issue of control, we see a huge amount of isolation with domestic violence. Certainly, the "Prime Time" programme showed women who never had a minute's peace, were at the end of a mobile telephone all the time and were not in a position to be able to make contact. They were very much controlled. I cannot imagine that this would shift significantly in a different jurisdiction. However, it is important that somebody is able to control their own destiny and to be involved in work that is dignified and respected. If one criminalises the buyer, it gives a very significant message to society that women and their bodies are not commodities, and the issue of parity of esteem and gender equality comes into play.