Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Our amendment does not reintroduce the offence of soliciting. There is an offence of soliciting as it stands, and if our amendment were passed, the situation would be exactly the same tomorrow. If the Minister amended that legislation, we would happily support her. These issues should not be in this legislation. What could have been a really good Bill with really positive protective measures has been in a quagmire for years over the controversial aspect of the criminalisation of the purchase of sex.

The points the Minister made about Sweden and trafficking are not substantiated and everybody would be delighted if we could just magic away trafficking. Trafficking is already outlawed and criminal and by criminalising the purchase of consensual adult sex, Garda resources are being taken away from trafficking and the exploitation of young children. That point has been supported by the police in Sweden which states claims about a drop in the purchase of sex cannot be substantiated because the data were never collected.

The Minister mentioned France but the sex workers union, STRASS, noted a very sharp increase in the number of attacks and acts of violence since the law was changed. It says the new laws have already put the livelihoods of its members at risk, forcing them to accept more undesirable clients than previously and placing them in much more danger than before. A review is very urgent but our measures are being proposed because what the Minister is providing for will make the situation more unsafe for sex workers. We think the section should be deleted.

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