Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I move amendment No. 22:

In page 19, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “Review of supports and exit services for sex workers in prostitution

27.The Minister for Justice and Equality is to report on the education, language, training, financial, housing, healthcare, social welfare and rehabilitation services that should be provided by the State to support sex workers and assist them in overcoming the barriers and forms of exploitation that prevent them from exiting prostitution, within six months of the enactment of this Bill. The needs of migrants, in particular the need to regularise their immigration status in order to afford them full employment rights and full access to legal employment and social welfare services, must be central to this review.”.

We have put forward these amendments for a reason. These are vital amendments because the Tánaiste is introducing serious legislation to criminalise the purchase of sex, which is a controversial measure. Certainly, the situation will not improve for those involved in sex work unless this legislation is accompanied by measures to assist sex workers in getting out of prostitution. Earlier, the Tánaiste referred to the Swedish model. This is not the Swedish model; it is nothing near it. If people are to be assisted in getting out of sex work and prostitution, then all these things are necessary. The areas covered in the proposed report include education, language training, financial assistance, housing, health care, social welfare, rehabilitation services and addiction treatment. Obviously, this affects migrants. A considerable number of sex workers are migrants. They are unable to get out unless they have regular employment status and are free to look for other work. The Bill makes a mockery of introducing the criminalisation of the purchase of sex unless the Government accompanies it by serious social measures to enable people to get out of prostitution and sex work.

Amendment No. 23 is somewhat different. Amendment No. 23 is designed to allow sex workers to report traffickers or organisers of prostitution - in other words, people who coerce them into sex work. It calls on the Minister for Justice and Equality to make available additional procedures and supports to protect people who report major traffickers and organisers of prostitution and to assist them to regularise their status in the country if they do so. We could envisage scenarios whereby women would be driven underground unless these measures are put in place. The criminalising of the purchase of sex could make things more dangerous unless these people are assisted to get out of prostitution. The major defect in the Bill is the lack of social measures to help to reduce the numbers involved in prostitution and sex work.