Linda

Review of law needs to be scrapped and started again

July 13, 2023

Today the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) learned that the long overdue review of the sex work laws in Ireland has hit another stumbling block, as the independent reviewer heading up the report has stepped back.

Linda Kavanagh, comms manager of SWAI said “ As usual, there was no contact made with SWAI and other stakeholders to let us know of yet another issue with this independent review. We are grateful to have learned this through a question asked by Catherine Connolly, who has been persistent in her enquiries as the timeframe for this report became longer and longer.”

She continued “A mandatory review of the law was built into the change in Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 to occur 3 years after the law was passed. Despite numerous requests for information on the process, the report’s mechanisms remained opaque. We note that the abortion law review was called for later than this review (2019) and was conducted and published earlier this year. We have now been waiting 3.5 years to be heard.”

Mardi Kennedy, coordinator of SWAI said “We have been troubled by the lack of transparency about this review since it began. We worry that the time elapsed since we participated in the review means the data is out of date. We are concerned that the independent reviewer, the person who talked with sex workers directly, is now no longer involved and any person who steps into the role now will lack that meaningful engagement.”

Linda said of the review “We have become increasingly frustrated with the statements made by the various Ministers for Justice during this time. If there was an issue with the time taken for the femicide report, as described in 2020, why has that issue persisted into mid-2023? We have reached out to the Minister for Justice to request a meeting.

While the review has taken up considerable time and resources for our organisation, and the mental capacity of the sex workers who engaged in the process, we would rather see this process started again and done properly. This review is vitally important, lives are at stake. We have already seen a young woman, Geila Ibram murdered under these laws, sex workers jailed for so-called brothel keeping, and increased and violent attacks. How can sex workers have faith in this process with so many delays and changes?”

Amber*, a sex worker based in Ireland said “The Government failed us when the laws were introduced. They are again failing us by denying us an opportunity to inform them on how these laws are impacting our lives!”.

Leea Berry, Chair of SWAI and current sex worker, stated “The lack of importance shown toward the review of this law is concerning. The current law has already murdered one sex worker and continues to harm us. How many more must suffer or die before we can have the review we were promised?”

ENDS

Sex workers failed by law AGAIN

March 14, 2023

When will the state own up to the fact that the law has failed and decriminalise sex work in Ireland?

Mardi Kennedy, coordinator of the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) commented on today’s guilty verdict of a man who assaulted two migrant sex workers in 2020 “The case today shows that the current sex work law in Ireland is failing on its own terms. The law did nothing to prevent the violent behaviour of this client.

We commend these brave workers who came forward and ensured the prosecution of a predator. However we note that this is unusual. Less than 1% of sex workers report crimes against them to the Gardaí, compared to 81% of the general population who have trust in Gardaí. How does this statistic not concern the Minister for Justice?”

Linda Kavanagh, communications manager of SWAI continues “In the wake of the change in the law in 2017, SWAI was the first point of contact for workers who were assaulted. As this case today proves, this spate of violence against sex workers has not abated.

Everyone deserves to be safe in their job, and sex work is an economic activity. The sex workers in this case noted that they worked for themselves, they were not being exploited or coerced.

The criminalisation of the purchase of sex does nothing to address the economic needs of sex workers. In fact, what it has done is made sex workers less safe and pushed sex work underground and away from services that can support them.

The strategy of so-called End Demand has created a climate of hostility and scarcity which means that sex workers may feel the need to take on clients who they would normally refuse or engage in riskier behaviour. It empowers clients to demand sex with no condom, for example.”

We MUST decriminalise sex work so that workers can work together for safety. We demand the Gardaí, the Department of Justice and supporters of the law listen to sex workers about what they need. They have the power to right these wrongs.”

* An earlier version of the blog post stated incorrectly that the sex workers were trans.

International Sex Workers Rights Day

March 3, 2023

Mardi, our coordinator writes about her experience in India where she met the founders of International Sex Workers’ Rights day. The Durbar Mahila Samawaya Committee (DMSC) founded the day in 2021.

“When I visited DMSC in Kolkata, India, I was awestruck and inspired by the successful outcomes of community organising by sex workers. I was generously introduced to members of the committee, and sex workers in their workplace, I met performers who are the children of sex workers and visited health clinics within the sex work district. I learned about their financial cooperative and other infrastructure that sex workers established, as society has previously excluded access to sex workers due to their work, class, and gender identities.

We see similar accessibility barriers within our own society in Ireland due to the current laws that promote stigma and discrimination towards sex workers. SWAI is engaging with sex workers to build solidarity and strength within our community to overcome isolation and prejudice, facilitate inclusion and establish non-judgemental, safer spaces.”

Press release: Irish government is complicit in violence against sex workers

December 17, 2022

“Today is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, and since we marked this day last year there has been a notable shift in attitudes against sex workers in Ireland,” says Mardi Kennedy, coordinator of the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI).

“The tide is turning against sex workers, and it is alarming to see”, Mardi continues. “This year the Department of Justice funded‘ I Must Be Some Person’ research highlighted that 1 in 5 street sex workers in Ireland has been sexually assaulted by Gardaí. This research was unique in giving voice to street sex workers who have been silenced in the dominant narrative around sex work in Ireland.”

Linda Kavanagh, comms manager for SWAI added “We have also recently learned of a sex worker who had their earnings seized at Belfast airport. Selling sex is supposed to be legal on the island of Ireland and yet this worker had her name published online and her earnings stolen by the police. Under what law have her earnings been seized?”

“All-island brothel raids were conducted in November with no mention of the well-being of the sex workers involved. Gardaí have posed as clients and lied to sex workers to get access to them to conduct so-called welfare checks. The Gardaí have then taken the names of the landlords of these premises. These checks, accompanied by mass texts, have terrorised sex workers and we have been contacted by many sex workers who are concerned by these actions. This is not how to go about combatting trafficking and exploitation in the sex industry.”

“Violence against sex workers comes in many forms, not just from clients. Police, the government, healthcare professionals, landlords, and society at large are all vectors of violence against sex workers. We know this because SWAI listens to sex workers themselves. Trust in the Gardaí amongst the rest of the population is at 90% according to the Gardaí’s own research. If we compare that to the Ugly Mugs stats, the only stats of crimes against sex workers that are collected, we see that less than 1% of sex workers report crimes against them to Gardaí.”

“In the past year we have learned that victims of trafficking who were prosecuted for brothel-keeping will not have their convictions wiped. There is a huge problem in Ireland with trafficked people getting recognised as such, while it suits many to conflate all sex work with trafficking. Just look at the number of traffickers prosecuted and how Ireland has been admonished numerous times for our lack of convictions” says Leah Butler.

She continues “On a more positive note, this year the review of the law continued and we eagerly await the outcome of this report. This review MUST centre on the experiences of current sex workers and how the Nordic model of client criminalisation has made sex workers more vulnerable to violence, including violence from the state.”

Here at SWAI we have hired a new coordinator and have a new board, made up of sex workers and allies. We have resumed our monthly coffee meet-ups, and online meet-ups to bolster the diverse community of sex workers in Ireland. We have sent vouchers to sex workers who are struggling with the cost of living crisis because we know that sex workers need more than rhetoric to survive.

This International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers we demand that sex workers are listened to when we call for the decriminalisation of sex work. The cost of living crisis, on top of the years-long housing crisis, means more people turn to sex work to make ends meet. The Irish government is pushing people into sex work but simultaneously ensures they are less safe once they are.

Reclaim the Night Speech 2022

December 7, 2022

Thank you for inviting Sex Workers Alliance Ireland to speak. A special hello to the sex workers amongst us tonight.

When was the last time you heard someone respectfully use the words “sex worker” in your workplace? Have you ever heard a joke made at a sex worker’s expense? Have you ever seen a movie where the main character is a sex worker, but their job is inconsequential to the plot? Have you ever raved about a documentary that showcases how sex work improves someone’s life?

Often when we think about violence in relation to sex work, we might not recognise how our own behaviour contributes to stigma and discrimination against sex workers. When we hear the words “sex worker” do we think about taboo sexual activity, or do we think about informed consent? Do we think about vilifying and criminalising customers, or do we think about sex workers wanting to work together for safety without the risk of criminal conviction? Do we think about who is profiting from sex work or do we think about sex workers topping up the gas meter to heat their home? Do we think about the permanency of nudes being posted online or do we think about financial companies stealing money and banning sex workers from earning online?

Moral panic is muddying our ability to hear what sex workers have to say. Sex workers are telling us that they want decriminalisation so that they can choose where, with whom and how they work. Safely. The 2019 review of the criminalisation of paying for sexual services in Northern Ireland, reported that a heightened fear of crime has contributed to a climate whereby sex workers feel further marginalised and stigmatised. This is evidence that politicians are choosing to retain these laws whilst being aware that they are continuing to oppress the sex worker community. How we can continue to accept this is unfathomable.

Violence is perpetrated via marginalisation and stigma. I ask you now, to take a moment to imagine the fear experienced by people who say, “I am a sex worker”. Tonight, we have come together as a community to declare that we are united against violence. As always, I ask you to show your solidarity with sex worker rights by giving a big cheer now woo. Reclaim the night, thank you.

Ominous texts from Gardaí scare sex workers during Days of activism against gender-based violence

December 1, 2022

Risk of eviction, mass surveillance and threats to our livelihood are just some of the issues that sex workers have faced just days into the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

“We have been inundated with calls and messages from sex workers who have received texts from the Gardaí. These texts have terrorised a population that is already fearful of interaction with the Gardaí” says Linda Kavanagh from the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI).

“This week there have been reports of so-called welfare checks by Gardaí on sex workers, where Gardaí have posed as clients and lied to sex workers to get access to them. The Gardaí have then taken the names of the landlords of these premises. Brothel raids have been conducted both north and south of the border and there have been trafficking arrests. However, there is no mention of the welfare of the sex workers who worked there. This is not how to go about combatting trafficking and exploitation in the sex industry.”

“Ireland must recognise that, for sex workers, Gardaí can be a vector of violence. The “I Must Be Some Person” research, published in August of this year highlighted that one in five street sex workers interviewed had experienced being sexually exploited by the Gardaí. Trust in the Garda amongst the rest of the population is at 90% according to the Gardaí’s own research. If we compare that to the Ugly Mugs stats, the only stats of crimes against sex workers that are collected, we see that less than 1% of sex workers report crimes against them to Gardaí.”

“The 2017 law is failing on its own terms. It has pushed sex work underground, away from Gardaí and services that can help. The law does nothing to improve the situation of a population who are already on the margins of society. In order to improve relationships with Gardaí, we must decriminalise sex work so that sex workers can feel safe reporting crimes against them. Sex workers deserve to be safe and they deserve laws that uphold their safety.”

SWAI Research Engagement Policy

November 28, 2022

SWAI is frequently contacted by academics, organisations, and individual researchers within and outside of Ireland to support their research by identifying participants, promoting research, facilitating peer interviews, and participating in advisory panels.

We are aware of the sex worker community being over-researched by non-peers without outcomes that improve sex workers’ lives. SWAI is concerned about the fatigue and potential for increased poor mental health outcomes for sex workers participating in interviews, with little or no appropriate follow-up offered by professionals.

We recognise that there may be occasional variations to the rule, however where there is capacity, we shall be prioritising our labour/knowledge/network access towards research requests that are conducted by sex worker researchers and concerning topics which support the objectives of a) improving the working and living conditions of sex workers, b) progressing our work to eliminate stigma and discrimination, and c) increasing access to support services

If you would like to contact us regarding your research, please complete our criteria of assessment for requests of SWAI engagement with research:

Do you have lived experience in the sex industry (all responses will be treated with confidentiality, more details below)?
Have you already secured funding for your research? If yes, please specify.
What are the needs of the research?
- Do you want SWAI to promote?
- Do you want SWAI to recruit participants? If yes, what is the agreed participant payment?
- Do you want SWAI to recruit peer researchers? If yes, what is the reimbursement of labour to SWAI?
- Do you want SWAI staff to participate in advisory panels? If yes, how many hours will be required?
- Other requirements, please detail.
How does the research topic align with SWAI’s values and Mission Statement?

All applications received will be confidential in accordance with our policy of not ‘outing’ sex workers. We will respond to your request based on the information you have provided and our availability. Please note that our staff work part-time. It is recommended that you do not rely solely on SWAI participation as we have very limited capacity to approve requests.

Board announcement!

November 16, 2022

We are so pleased to announce the new SWAI board! The Sex Workers Alliance Ireland welcome Leea Berry, Leah Butler and Lianne O’Hara to our board of directors.

Leea Berry is a Domina and activist taking the role of Treasurer of the Board. Her experiences of harassment and eventually eviction by the Gardaí under the Nordic model in Ireland make her an ideal candidate, with lived experience of life as a sex worker in Ireland.

Leah Butler is taking the role of Chair of the Board and has a BA (Hons) in History and Folklore with structured electives in Equality Studies from University College Dublin. She brings a wealth of experience in grassroots activism and community organising to this role.

Lianne O’Hara is taking the role of Secretary. She is a poet and playwright. Her debut play Fluff, following two Dublin strippers through an evening’s work, sold out a six-show run at the Smock Alley Theatre as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2022. Her deep ties to the sex worker community are invaluable to our organisation.

This board, along with our new coordinator Mardi Kennedy, will ensure a sustainable, sex worker community-focused organisation fighting for the human rights and safety of sex workers on the island of Ireland. To find out more about our team please check out the About Us section of the website.

We are also seeking additional board members for SWAI. If you are interested please read this Board Call Out post and email board@swai.eu. We are actively seeking board members from diverse and non-traditional backgrounds, and particularly welcome applications from current or former sex workers. Come join our team in the fight to ensure the voices of sex workers are heard

Board member call out: We need you!

November 16, 2022

The Organisation:

Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) advocates for the human rights and safety of sex workers on the island of Ireland. SWAI is dedicated to decriminalisation, destigmatisation, and community development through outreach, changes in policy and legislation, and increased visibility of sex work in society.

SWAI is a frontline, sex worker-led and community-focused non-governmental organisation in Ireland. We understand ‘sex workers’ as anyone engaged in transactional sexual services indoor, outdoor, and online – including but not limited to street workers, brothel workers, strippers, escorts, those working in massage parlours, online content creators, and pro dommes. Within this definition, we recognise differences in gender, socio-economic background, ethnicity, migratory status, sexuality, and how these may influence one’s work experiences and definitions of self in relation to sex work (working girl, prostitute, entertainer, dancer, gigolo, masseuse, etc).

SWAI believes in full decriminalisation, human rights for sex workers, equality, confidentiality, bodily autonomy, freedom of movement and migration, inclusion, anti-capitalism, and anti-white supremacy. We have a strict policy of not outing sex workers.

The Role:

Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) seeks applications for appointment as directors of its Board, who are Trustees and volunteers.

The Board is made up of six to seven directors, including three officers (Chair, Secretary and Treasurer).

For Board directors, a range of skills are sought, both within and outside the community development sector, to devise and implement a strategy of advocacy, education, and research in relation to the advance of human rights for sex workers, and to govern the organisation, as a company limited by guarantee and not-for-profit NGO.

Responsibilities will include the following:

Providing input to the strategic direction of SWAI and contributing with insight, oversight, and experience in strategic planning in the sector
Policy formation, planning and implementation as required
Governance responsibilities

Essential Skills/Qualities required for the role:

An understanding of and commitment to SWAI’s objectives, in particular advocacy and education in relation to the advance of human rights for sex workers
Commitment to the highest levels of governance

Desirable Skills/Qualities/Profile required for Board members:

Persons with experience in sex work, indoor, outdoor, or online
Persons with experience as Chair, Treasurer, or Secretary
A deep appreciation and knowledge of the community development sector
An understanding of horizontal, non-hierarchical organising
An understanding of the current landscape in relation to sex work in Ireland, both in policy and legal frameworks and in the community
Persons with experience in finance; research; accounting; administration; or
Practising or retired academics, solicitors, barristers, mental health professionals, social workers, in Ireland or Northern Ireland

General duties of a Trustee:

Comply with the organisation’s governing documents
Ensuring the organisation is complying with its purpose for the public benefit
Acting in the best interest of the organisation
Act with reasonable care and skill
Manage the assets of the organisation

Term:

The vacancy will be appointed by co-option on and with effect from 15 February 2023. The term will last until the next Annual General Meeting (September 2023), at which there is a possibility of election for a subsequent term of at least one year.

Board Meetings:

There will be 6 board meetings per year. There will also be monthly team meetings that board directors are requested to attend. Board and team meetings are typically held online.

Diversity:

Sex Workers Alliance Ireland is committed to diversity in appointments to the Board and team, in terms of gender; age; ethnicity; sexual orientation; the inclusion of sex workers and those involved in community development; geography in terms of residence or place of business on the island of Ireland (including both legal jurisdictions).

The Nomination Committee, led by the Chair, has been asked to have regard to the skills and diversity on the Board and to recommend appointments, where possible, on the basis of bringing the Board towards a balance ensuring the highest level of diversity possible.

We particularly welcome applications from current or former sex workers.

Application Deadline:

Applications should be made to board@swai.eu by 15 January 2023 and will be treated strictly in confidence. Please include in your application previous board experience (if any), a short statement outlining your motivation for wanting to join the SWAI Board of Directors, and, if you wish, your status as a sex worker (if any).

One in five street sex workers in Ireland sexually exploited by the Gardaí, new report finds.

August 22, 2022

New research from University of Limerick tells stories of sex workers who have faced discriminatory behaviour at the hands of the Gardaí

New research, funded by the Department of Justice and published by the University of Limerick today highlights significant Gardaí abuse against sex workers.

One in five street sex workers in Ireland have been sexually exploited by the Gardaí, according to new research published by the University of Limerick today.

The report, “I must be some person” Accounts from Street Sex Workers in Ireland, investigated street workers’ knowledge and experience of the legislation around sex work since the introduction of the 2017 Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act. The findings are based on interviews with a sample of 25 street sex workers based in Dublin (15) and Limerick (10), conducted by a team of researchers and peer-researchers, in a collaboration between the University of Limerick and GOSHH.

The report found a deep mistrust by sex workers of An Garda Síochána. It found that sex workers who face rape, violence, or other crimes felt discouraged to report such incidents to Gardai for a range of reasons, including:

a history of trauma inflicted by aggressive Garda tactics from the past among sex workers;
the belief and experience of some officers sexually exploiting street sex workers and abusing
their power;
previous cases of sex workers reporting incidents of physical assault or rape, which were dismissed or mishandled, not leading to receiving help or justice, and
a wide-spread stigma around sex work in the Irish society, and hence, sex workers being afraid
of publicity (e.g. news media).

The report also found that around one in five sex workers have experienced incidents of officers manipulating a lack of knowledge of their legal rights. This includes threatening to charge workers with prostitution, despite the fact that outdoor sex work was decriminalised in 2017.

The report found that the 2017 Act, which purportedly aimed to prevent the exploitation and sex trafficking of vulnerable people, has in fact drastically marginalised already vulnerable populations and has made the lives of street sex workers in urban areas even harder.

“Criminalising buying sex drove more clients to visit indoor workers, putting street sex workers at higher risk of abuse by clients due to inability to refuse work opportunities. It also led to increased street presence and patrolling by Gardaí, which limited sex workers’ ability to evaluate potential clients. The Act also doubled the existing criminal penalty for ‘brothel-keeping’, which prevents sex workers of any number working together indoors. This has made being able to work together for safety impossible. In fact, the ability to work together as a way of ensuring safety and security, was the most frequently mentioned issue that the sex workers wish to see changed in the law,” said Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for SWAI, Sex Workers Alliance Ireland.

The report shows that the state’s law and policing approach, alongside wider societal stigma and discourse, which portrays and treats all sex workers as ‘exploited victims’, instead of treating “sex-work as work” causes additional direct and indirect harm. Sex workers cannot disclose their occupation, sometimes even to family, so lack critical psychosocial support. They feel uncomfortable seeking legal or social supports from state services because of their justified fear of being judged, abused, or harassed.

“Our findings show our current law on sex work negatively affects lives, safety, and wellbeing of sex workers. Portraying all sex workers in Ireland as “exploited victims” and the way the Gardaí are interacting with the street sex workers contribute to violence and stigmatization. This enables very serious incidents of Garda misconduct against sex workers, including sexual assault and verbal abuse, and false legal information surrounding sex work spread by others. This also leads to further marginalisation and isolation of an already economically and psychologically vulnerable population” said Dr. Anca Minescu, author of the report and lecturer in psychology at the University of Limerick.

Billie Stoica, the coordinator of the funded project stated: “The street sex workers who spoke to us had so many aspects of their lives to juggle. Caring for parents and children, negotiating housing, achieving education, or managing addiction. How sex work is policed only added to the pressure they were under, and left them with little or no access to justice.”

The whole research team of authors and contributors, including peer-researchers, wishes to acknowledge and thank the street sex workers who participanted in this project, sharing their stories of survival: “We’re actually good people. We’re people that are just living every day, and we’re alive”, “It’s not like working in a shop, but… it is work […] I’m not robbing people. I’m going out and making me own money”. This sense of agency and free choice in the work they do was amplified by their participation in the research project. The peer-researchers and participants alike found a safe space where their identities were validated and where they were seen as human beings making a living. It was the peer participation design of the research that led to the high validity and quality of our data: authentic honest accounts of street sex workers who survive hardships while fighting the stigma of their profession: “being a working girl is not the worst thing in the world” .

The report provides recommendations for the Department of Justice, which is currently engaged in a review of the 2017 Act, regarding the law and policy around sex work, which include:

The full decriminalisation of sex work, including the purchase of sexual services
A clear distinction between sex work versus sexual exploitation and sex trafficking
A strengthening of services for sex workers to ensure they have safe working conditions
An end to the policing of sex workers by An Garda Síochána
Encouraging the redirection of funding from An Garda Síochána to sex worker led organisations
That the discourse on sex work going forward is actively influenced towards destigmatisation of
the occupation, humanisation of the workers and the overall concern of the well being of sex
workers.

I must be some person – UL Engage Report Edit 002 Download