Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Last month, the CSO published a groundbreaking report marking a significant milestone in addressing sexual violence in Ireland. This report, which is the first of six, sheds a light on the pressing issue of sexual violence in our communities and is the result of the first CSO survey that documents the frequency of sexual violence in Ireland. The survey findings reveal a truly alarming prevalence rate of sexual violence, at 40% for all adults, 52% for women and 28% for men.

Behind those figures are personal stories affecting individuals and families, which numbers and statistical significance cannot fully portray. While we must be mindful of the trauma that such experiences cause, we must also collectively address the issues. It is the intention that the CSO will gather data every ten years, which will allow us to monitor progress and drive change effectively. By focusing on respondents' experiences of a broad spectrum of sexual violence and harassment, the survey serves as an important tool for understanding the scope and impact of these issues and marks an important step towards raising awareness, developing support services and informing policy development.

On the subject of sexual violence, we are all aware of the risks to women – it is primarily women - working in the sex trade. Just a few weeks ago, in my home city of Limerick, Geila Ibram was murdered. She had not been long in the country when she was brutally killed, leaving her children without a mother. It might be uncomfortable for our society that the sex trade exists with all the problems it brings, such as trafficking of women, health impacts and violence. Our instinct is to try and regulate the trade and in doing so minimise the problems associated with it. Our law seeks to do that.

In 2017, Ireland introduced the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act. The key provisions of this law include criminalising the purchase of sexual services and related activities such as solicitation and advertising while decriminalising the selling of sexual services. The law also includes provisions for support services for those involved in sex work, such as access to social, health and educational services. Ostensibly, this law aims to protect those involved in sex work by shifting the criminal burden from sellers to buyers, and by providing support services to help individuals exit sex work and access healthcare. Supporters of the law argue that it addresses the exploitative nature of sex work and reduces demand for sexual services and human trafficking. However, there are also concerns that the law itself has put sex workers at increased risk of violence, stigma and discrimination by driving the sex trade further underground, that it may hinder sex workers' ability to work safely and negotiate their terms of service, and that it may lead to decreased access to healthcare and support services.

A review of the law was due to be delivered three years following its enactment, in 2020. We are now a further three years beyond that deadline. I do not claim to know enough to say whether the law is the right one but I do believe we have a responsibility to Geila Ibram and others in the sex trade who have been the victims of violence and to those who are telling us that the law is part of the problem. Peer-reviewed research shows that there has been an increase in violence against people involved in the sex trade in this country since the legislation was brought in in 2017. This research does not say there is necessarily a causation; it may simply be a correlation. However, the increase in violence has happened coincident with the legislation being enacted by these Houses six years ago. If we want to reduce violence in the sex trade, we have to be open to reviewing the legislation that is in place. When we hear from those involved in the sex trade that the legislation is leading to increased violence, we should listen carefully. We should put aside any misgivings we might have about the particular trade, do the right thing and seek to legislate so that those involved in the sex trade are protected as much as possible. That review is well overdue and I ask that the Minister of State discuss this with her colleagues. I understand some movement is being made on it, which I welcome, but it is long overdue.

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