Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last night, I was quoting from a survey of sex workers in Northern Ireland that was carried out approximately 18 months ago by Queens University in Belfast. There are two particular findings from that. A total of 85% of those working in the trade locally said that such legislation as in the Swedish model would not reduce trafficking. Only 8% of the clients surveyed said that it would make them stop paying for sex altogether. The PSNI also voiced concerns that there were likely to be significant difficulties with enforcement and it would be unlikely to be effective against exploitation. Therefore, a failure to amend the existing aspects of Part 4 will have adverse effects on sex workers. It will fuel trafficking business even further. It is not tackling the social and economic circumstances that bring people into sex work.

There are serious doubts about the human rights compatibility of what is being proposed in Part 4. Whether we agree with the work of sex workers or not, like it or not, or disapprove of it or not, sex workers have human rights like all workers. They have rights to dignity in the workplace, to self-determination, to work in safe conditions and to access to justice. I really do not want to take from so much of what is positive in the Bill and its potential to do good. However, Part 4 does need to be looked at again in light of the concerns. We must also look at how the Bill could be strengthened further on issues such as human trafficking, forced labour, the involvement of children in sexual activity, violence and the abuse of sex workers, because they are major human rights issues.

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