Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Pringle on introducing this timely Bill. As Deputy Niall Collins has noted, the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality has been examining this issue and has invited a variety of spokespersons for national organisations, academics and former prostitutes to share the views and experiences of those who want to change our law to adopt the Swedish model and those who oppose such a change. We have heard hours of testimony, questions and examinations.

At the recent Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis, my party overwhelmingly endorsed the Turn Off the Red Light campaign. The campaign is supported by more than 60 organisations across the State, including most trade unions, women's groups, domestic violence support groups, immigrant groups, farming organisations, young people's organisations and organisations that support children. This is the context in which Deputy Pringle has brought the Bill before us.

We need to change the law because the current system is simply not working.

I was moved by the testimony given to the joint committee on the reality of prostitution. The vast majority of those who find themselves in prostitution, most of whom are women, never wanted to become prostitutes. It was not their childhood ambition or the ambition of their families that they would become available for purchase by men they do not know or love and with whom they do not have any affinity, other than through an economic transaction. Prostitution does not involve equal interaction because the purchaser is the dominant economic party. The industry is a tragedy and if I hear it described one more time as the oldest profession, I will scream. Prostitution is an insult to everything for which Irish people stand and to the Proclamation to which Members pay allegiance every time we enter this building. It could not be further away from the principle of equality.

It makes me very angry to hear terms such as "sex workers" used by those who argue for maintaining prostitution, many of whom receive funding from the industry for online forums, websites and agencies. As the spokespersons of the trade union movement stated during the hearings of the joint committee - I recall in particular the contribution of Mr. Liam Doran of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation - prostitution is not work and has no connection with the workers rights for which we fought. We want to support the women and small number of men involved in prostitution, those who moved to Ireland from abroad, were trafficked here or found themselves addicted to drugs or in economic hardship, by offering them a means to exit the industry. It is not good enough to change the legislation and give the Garda a new set of guidelines. We must provide meaningful supports to the women involved.

I listened recently to a report on "Today with Pat Kenny" in which Paddy O'Gorman, one of the reporters with the programme, spoke to some of the women who are affected by prostitution. I was deeply moved by the story of one woman, a drug addict, and the stark reality of what her life entails. Her life is a human tragedy which began in her teenage years in foster care when she experienced abuse and subsequently found herself on the streets of Dublin as a result of drug abuse. It is scandalous that some men believe it is acceptable to drive to Dublin from different parts of Ireland to purchase the services of the woman in question. We must confront and put an end to this scandal.

I received an e-mail this morning from a person lobbying on the legislation who used the term "adult entertainment business" to describe prostitution. The industry in Ireland, in which approximately 1,000 women are involved, is a modern form of slavery. We need to confront this issue by saying "No" and "Stop" to those who insist on using this language.

I had the opportunity of visiting Stockholm with a delegation from the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality to study how the Swedish law on prostitution came about and the way in which it operates. We spent a full day in meetings with legislators, including members of the Swedish parliamentary committee on justice, officials from the Department of Justice, police and prosecution service and social workers. While there is no panacea for prostitution and the Swedish legislation is not perfect, it is the best model I can imagine. I was particularly moved by our encounter with a social worker who travels with the vice squad when it arrests some of those, primarily men, who avail of prostitution. I was very impressed with the support she provides. We asked her difficult questions, including whether the Swedish law will drive prostitution further underground. She and many others pointed out that prostitution, by its nature, requires people to offer themselves for sale, whether on the streets or websites. The argument that it will be driven underground is, therefore, nonsensical. When I asked how the women engaged in prostitution felt about the law she indicated that the overwhelming majority of the hundreds of women she dealt with were pleased to be offered a route out of a life of prostitution and welcomed the supports she provides. She was a highly impressive and remarkable woman, working at the heart of an impressive and remarkable law. I hope a similar law will be quickly introduced in this State in order that our legislation comes to reflect the promise of the Proclamation that hangs in the Lobby. Prostitution and trafficking have been dramatically reduced in Sweden since the new legislation was introduced. While women are still involved in prostitution and the model is not perfect, it is a hell of a lot better than the model in place in this country. Moreover, it reflects the values of the Swedish population much more than the status quoin this country reflects our values.

While the opponents of Deputy Pringle's Bill will never say so aloud, their objective is to completely decriminalise prostitution and allow prostitutes to work where they like. I point them to Amsterdam, the best example of a European city where prostitution has been fully liberalised, which is a disaster. To see women lined up in windows is an affront to all the values we claim to hold dear. Where does equality enter the picture in the red light district of Amsterdam? The Dutch are a fine people but their law on prostitution lets down their country and everything they stand for, which is a shame. The Swedish law is the model we should adopt.

Members of the Garda Síochána informed the joint committee that organised crime is behind prostitution. A legal loophole has allowed an English based website to offer hundreds of women for sale in Ireland. The site was set up by a convicted pimp whose son is also a pimp who was convicted in this city. These are the kind of people who make millions in profit off the backs of women available for sale in Ireland. The individuals in question also support an online campaign that seeks to prevent people such as me, Deputies Thomas Pringle and Niall Collins, and many others from doing what is right. They organise online attacks on individuals such as Sister Stanislaus Kennedy. They have also claimed the Turn Off the Red Light campaign is run by the religious and compare it to the Magdalen laundries. Pimps are funding campaigns to prevent us from doing the right thing.

As legislators, we can choose the side of English based pimps or align ourselves with all the women's groups, Macra na Feirme, Barnardos and the rape crisis centres. I know where I stand. We need to do the right thing by the women who find themselves in these tragic circumstances by offering them supports, housing and genuine equality. They must be helped to get off drugs and find their place in society again. We must tell the small minority of men who purchase the services of women that they have no right do so. If they wish, as Irish men, to stand by the Proclamation and claim the rights of citizenship of this Republic, they do not have any right to use their economic position to pay for the services of a woman. They should be men and do what is right by refusing to avail of prostitution.

I long to see the day that we have a law that does justice to what we claim to stand for. I commend Deputy Thomas Pringle on introducing this legislation, which I fully support.

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