Dr. Derek Freedman:

Certainly not. As Members sit here they are focused on legalisation and the law, but I deal with and see human beings and human behaviour. The law sets barriers and protection and that is what the committee needs to do. The Amsterdam model would be totally inappropriate for Irish society. Heavy criminalisation would be equally inappropriate for the occasional person who needs or desires the services of sex workers, where no harm is done. We all seem to think that prostitution, in neon letters, equals exploitation and degradation. It is my feeling and understanding over the years that prostitution has a much wider context. We all prostitute ourselves in some ways, or rather for different advantages and different things. Some do it for money, some do it for sex and some do it for advantage. It is all part of the wide spectrum of human behaviour.