Kate McGrew, current sex worker and director of the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) welcomes the news that arrests have been made following raids on suspected attackers. She said “We know that when sex workers and the Gardaí can work together we can make Ireland a safer place for everyone.
However, these arrests do little to assuage the fear and paranoia sex workers feel because of the law. These attacks are the direct consequence of a law that does not prioritise sex worker’s safety and instead focused on a vain attempt to end demand for sex work.”
She continued “Everyone wants sex workers to be safe but we need to be realistic about what the laws introduced in 2017 have actually accomplished. We have seen a 92% increase in violent crime against sex workers and a marked decrease in the probability of sex workers reporting a crime against them to the Gardaí. One client has been taken to court and many more workers have been prosecuted.
Forcing sex workers to work alone under the so-called brothel-keeping laws makes them a target for criminals such as these attackers. Driving sex workers to the margins by criminalising the purchase of sex or forcing them to break the law to work together in safety is detrimental to the safety of sex workers.
Gardaí resources are wasted on attempting to police consensual sex work. An Garda Siochana are already stretched thin. We want sex work decriminalised so sex workers are no longer afraid to engage with the police.”
Men ignored by sex work law because it does not suit the ‘helpless victim’ propaganda, says university expert
Availability of PrEP through HSE from this month a major step in addressing HIV, speaker from DCU explains
Men were excluded in the formulation of current laws criminalising sex work, because to include them would expose the fallacy that this work involves only helpless victims, Dr. Paul Ryan, Asst Professor in the Department of Sociology, Maynooth University, stated at a meeting in Dublin today (Sunday Nov. 17th).
Speaking at the second in a series of ‘Soundhouse Sundays’, organised by Kate McGrew (aka Lady Grew) of Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI), on themes related to sex work and the law, Paul Ryan said that “the proponents of this law needed victims and perpetrators to argue for strict legal solutions. It difficult to differentiate these categories in male sex work, so it was conveniently and deliberately ignored.
“Organisations advocating criminalisation systematically distort the facts to portray all sex workers as hopeless, hapless and helpless. This is a totally false portrayal of the reality of sex workers. It is very obviously so in the case of male sex work,” Paul Ryan said.
“Many men, women and trans sex workers, especially migrants to Ireland, become involved very deliberately for economic reasons to, for instance, escape the housing crisis and the grip of slum landlords.
“Or, given the approaching season, to raise funds for loved ones here at Christmastime or support their impoverished families in their home countries.”
He said that the ‘criminalisation of sex work’ law is, in fact, all about stigma and little about addressing real issues real issues like poverty and disadvantage.
“Meanwhile, out in the real world, the industry is becoming more mainstream in a variety of ways. University students, for example, are increasingly entrants to the sex industry.
“Conventional sex work websites are being displaced by, for instance, gay dating apps like Grindr where men are propositioned by men. These men don’t see themselves in the conventional sense as sex workers, and, of course are conveniently not regarded as such by the pro-criminalisation lobby. They certainly do not seek ‘rescue’,” Paul Ryan said.
Robert Lawlor, Dublin City University and Co-Founder of Access to Medicines Ireland, said that the emergence of new treatments, especially Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), can help to end both the stigma and fear around male sex work and the broader issue of HIV in the community.
PrEP is a medication taken by HIV-negative people to reduce the chance of getting HIV from sex or sharing equipment to inject or use drugs. From 4th November 2019, it is available free of charge in Ireland to those who meet the clinical eligibility criteria.
Robert Lawlor said that “95% of all people on this HIV medication have HIV levels that are undetectable and therefore medically untransmissable, also known as U=U.
“There are, however, still an estimated 700 people living with HIV in Ireland who do not know their status. By promoting U=U, we are promoting sexual liberation not just for people living with HIV but for all those who do not have the virus.
“For people who stay on their medication it is impossible for them to transmit the virus through sexual contact.
“This message creates a paradigm shift in how the public should think of those living with HIV. We encourage everyone who may have even a slight fear of having contracted HIV to know their status and, if necessary, get on HIV treatment. This, in turn, will see the rate of new HIV diagnoses in Ireland plummet.
“For sex workers this is empowering. People living with HIV can become the safest people to have sex with in regards to HIV, Robert Lawlor said.
Both sex workers and Gardaí have known about these criminals for some time but sex workers refuse to contact the Garda because trust in Gardaí is at an all-time low since the law changed in 2017.
“The increased assaults and robberies on sex workers currently being investigated by gardaí are a direct consequence of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, which specifically prohibits sex workers from working or even living together for safety, so-called brothel-keeping, and makes the consensual purchase of sex a criminal offence” says Kate McGrew, current sex worker and Director of Sex Workers’ Alliance Ireland said today.
Commenting on the announcement that gardaí are investigating a systematic series of physical assaults and robbery of sex workers, she said “The 2017 law, which is due for review in early 2020, should be scrapped. It should be replaced by legislation that decriminalises sex work and to provide labour law, health and safety guarantees instead.”
“The fact that these attacks are being carried out by gangs of people means that sex workers lives are now at risk from criminals gangs. The negative impact of the law is vividly shown by the fact that gardaí have had to issue the ludicrous assurance that sex workers who have been violently assaulted and robbed will be treated with the ‘utmost sensitivity and confidentiality.’ Such a statement would never need to be issued for any other worker or person subject to violent attacked and theft,” Kate McGrew said.
“Asking sex workers to only see known clients to them shows the disconnect that the Gardaí have from the lived experiences of sex workers. A worker needs to pay rent, pay bills and feed themselves, just like everyone else and is not in a position to turn away clients. Many sex workers are single mothers and on the run up to Christmas, they cannot afford to follow this advice.”
Through our safety networks, SWAI and sex workers have known about these criminals for some time but workers refuse to contact the Garda because,at best, they fear surveillance of their workplace or clients and their livelihood taken away.
“The law is placing the gardaí in an impossible position. If they encounter a sex worker living alone it is ‘legal’, but if contacted by sex workers living together for safety they must prosecute them as criminals,” she said.
It doesn’t have to be like this. In New Zealand sex work is decriminalised. Sex workers can take legal action for assault or exploitation, without being ‘shamed’ for their profession. A similar approach should apply in Ireland.
We all deserve to be safe and we all should have laws that work to make us safer. Sex workers deserve this too. The egregious waste of Gardaí resources used to prosecute consensual sex work and workers working together for safety could be better used in prosecuting criminals such as these. We have worked previously with Gardaí to successfully prosecute serial rapists in the past.
We need assurances from the Gardaí that if workers who have been working together for safety are attacked they will not be prosecuted under brothel-keeping laws. We need removal of brothel-keeping laws that mean that workers can work together safety. We need to be included in the review of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 and we need sex work fully decriminalised.”
The Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) advocate for all sex workers in Ireland, including cam workers. All aspects of cam work are legal but there is still shame and stigma attached to this type of work, and increasingly support from SWAI is sought around issues in this area. SWAI provide non-judgemental information to any sex worker in Ireland.
Many people enter this type of work because they lack supports. While social welfare remains low and rents remain high many young people will take up this type of work to make ends meet and because it allows them to work less for more money. This is ideal for students who already are strapped for time due to their studies.
We want OnlyFans and all cam workers to know that we are here for them and we ask them to get in contact at 085 824 9305. We will be hosting a drop-in in Dublin 6th where cam workers and sugar babies can meet each other, share knowledge, and get support.
A major surge in harassment of sex workers following the introduction of the so-called ‘Swedish Model’ in Northern Ireland was among the main findings in a review of the impact of the legislation, Dr Caoimhe Ní Dhónaill, co-author of a report commissioned for the Northern Ireland Department of Justice said at a meeting in Dublin tonight (Sunday, October 6th).
The meeting was organised by Kate McGrew and the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland as one of the first in a series of six events related to a similar review in the Republic of Ireland.
Caoimhe Ní Dhonaíll, a Queens University Belfast based academic, said that the report, the first in any country to compare data both before and after introduction of the ‘Nordic model’, says there appears to have been no impact on the number of sex workers, while support services remain paltry.
“While levels of serious and violent crime appear to have remained static, responses from sex workers indicate that almost three quarters (73%) reported ‘abusive or threatening phonecalls’ in the past year, while half reported abusive or threatening behaviour. This compares with only one in eight reporting similar abuse in the previous five years.
“These findings are almost identical to those from Uglymugs, an organisation documenting sex worker health and safety, that between 2016 and 2018 self-reported assault increased by 225%, while ‘other sexual assault’ increased by 300%. This includes threatening to call landlord/police, threatening to damage the sex worker’s reputation and unauthorised photography as well as seeking free sex.
The report, ‘A Review of the Criminalisation of paying for Sexual Services in Northern Ireland,’ was published in September by the Northern Ireland Department of Justice. It showed only 11% of clients stated an intention to stop purchasing sex.
“Evidence from the Médecins du Monde study of similar French legislation introduced in 2016 suggests it has no effect on abusive or violent clients, rather it is those who are non-abusive and non-violent who seem to be dissuaded. We, therefore, may simply be placing sex workers in more danger by imposing the Nordic model.
“Commercial sex now seems much riskier and more underground than before the Nordic model. A law claiming to tackle violence against women appears to instead facilitate an unsafe work environment.
“Worrying evidence also emerged that it is mainly sex workers themselves rather than statutory agencies who provide help and assistance in the area. “Only a minority of sex workers in the Northern Ireland survey accessed of Women’s Aid or Ruhama. Considerably more engaged with UglyMugs.ie and Sex Workers’ Alliance Ireland (SWAI), both based outside the jurisdiction.
“Neither does the law seems to have impacted on numbers entering sex work. 35 people started selling sex after the legislation was implemented in June 2015 which represents 21.6% of those that responded to this particular question. An estimated 308 sex workers are advertising across Northern Ireland on a daily basis, showing no reduction from figures cited in official research in 2014.
It also appears that many people dip in and out of sex work as need and circumstance dictate. For example, 39.4% of respondents had left for periods of up to six months but then returned,” Caoimhe Ní Dhónail said.
“The government here should instigate similar detailed research as part of the review of legislation in the Republic of Ireland,” Kate McGrew, Director, Sex Workers Alliance Ireland, said in response.
“Legislation here follows the same Swedish Model approach that is clearly shown in Northern Ireland to be grossly defective. SWAI is increasingly aware of safety and health concerns affecting sex workers, particularly those working alone. The government must not continue to turn a blind eye to the facts,” she said.
“The national coordination body for police services in the UK, The National Police Chiefs Council, has advised UK police services not to equate all sex work with trafficking in its operational guidance issued in January 2019. It is time that the law here also clearly separates sex work that women undertake by their own decision from instances of trafficking and other abuses,” she said.
Kate McGrew, current sex worker and spokesperson for the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland(SWAI) said “The criminalisation of client law was brought in with great fanfare over 2 years ago but, as yet, has only seen two men prosecuted for the purchase of sex in Ireland. It is unclear at this time that any of the 38 people questioned will be prosecuted.”
She continues “In early 2020 there will be a review of the impact of the law so we are not surprised that there has been an increase in the questioning of those who seek the service of sex workers. But we know from figures gleaned from Ugly Mugs, an app sex workers use to keep ourselves safe, that over the past 2 years the laws have seen sex workers being deported, arrested or forced to leave the country to avoid prosecution for working together for safety. We also know that there has been a marked increase in violent crimes against sex workers here in Ireland, an increase of 92%. As far as we know everyone who has been prosecuted of so-call brothel-keeping in Ireland has been a migrant. All of this begs the question, who is truly being affected by the law, who are the vulnerable persons the Garda say they are protecting and who are we trying to keep safe?
We don’t know anything about the workers who were caught up in these actions. We don’t know if they were consenting workers or part of the minority of those who have been trafficked into Ireland for sex work. These actions have not addressed the root causes of sex work, such as austerity, poverty, lack of childcare. These actions have not provided the supports on exiting sex work, should people want to exit, which were promised with the introduction of the law.
SWAI is the only front-line, sex worker-led organisation in Ireland and we want to see sex work fully decriminalised. These laws make clients more fearful, which impacts the safety of sex workers. One of the many reasons we want sex work decriminalised is so that sex workers can work with the Gardaí to combat trafficking and exploitation in the industry. We only have to look at New Zealand and New South Wales in Australia to see how full decriminalisation has led to cooperation between workers and the police. If we truly want to combat trafficking the Gardaí should work with their best allies, sex workers, instead of targetting them and their livelihood. We ask that misinformed politicians listen to us, the very people who are materially affected by these laws. Who are these laws helping? Sex workers want to be safe, like everyone else.
Client criminalisation is not fit for purpose, has has been met with an increase in sex trafficking and is actively harmed the mental health of sex workers in Northern Ireland, according to a new report from the Department of Justice.
Kate McGrew, current sex worker and spokesperson for the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) said today “This report commissioned by the Department of Justice shows that there has not been a decrease in demand for sex work since the introduction of client criminalisation (also known as the Nordic Model) in Northern Ireland in 2015. Instead, we have seen an increase in sex trafficking by 26% and the health of sex workers put at risk.”
She continues “Sex workers in Ireland tend to work both jurisdictions so a lot of the findings in this report will be applicable to the Republic of Ireland. If the purpose of the law was to decrease demand it has failed. If the purpose of the law was to help sex workers it has failed. In the north, it led to massive increase in advertising (on one site alone over 1700 new ads) and demand (in one jurisdiction by 134%) and a 200% increase threatening behaviour in clients. In the south, it led to an increase of violent crime against sex workers by 92% The law is a failure on the entire island of Ireland.
Northern Ireland was the only region that introduced the Nordic Model that also conducted baseline research so this research must be taken very seriously.
Sex worker rights activists fought for the liaison officers to remain in public protection, not enforcement. This has resulted in sex workers in Northern Ireland are very appreciative of the work that the PSNI liaison officers do. The PSNI were vocal about their opposition to the law. They knew it would make their work more difficult, and that is reflected in their policing. Gardaí have an increasingly antagonistic approach to sex workers since the change in the law in 1993. Policing consensual sex work does not reduce trafficking and is a waste of resources.
The law has put the mental health of sex workers at risk by causing an increase in threatening behaviour. This was predicted by sex workers, who were ignored during the process of introducing the laws. Susan Huschke’s research showed clear on the opposition from sex workers (98% were against the change in law). The law has increased our marginalisation and stigmatisation. We deserve better than this.
We want full decriminalisation of sex work on the island of Ireland so that we are safe, healthy and have laws that protect us.
We all expect laws to keep us safe, but the laws around sex work make Ireland more dangerous.
Kate McGrew, director of Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) and current sex worker says, “SWAI are happy to hear the news that a serial rapist was handed a 20-year prison sentence today. This man systematically targeted migrant sex workers in the wake of the change in the law around sex work in 2017.
SWAI was the initial contact by the sex workers involved in this serial rapist, who was targetting Czech sex workers. We helped the workers to report the rapist to Garda and supported them throughout the trial. As a front-line organisation, which is the only sex worker-led organisation in Ireland, many sex workers turn to SWAI to support them, when they are a victim of a crime.”
Today is a success, as sex workers were able to get justice, despite the fact that they have very little trust in Gardai. In the last two years of client criminalisation, there has been a 98% increase in violent crimes against sex workers.
We in SWAI warned that this increase in violence would happen in the wake of the introduction of client criminalisation. The voices of current sex workers and their allies were ignored when this law was introduced.
Policymakers and misinformed politicians need to listen to SWAI and current sex workers during next year’s review of the law in 2020. There is an epidemic of violence against sex workers made much worse by client criminalisation. The conviction today was an exception, rather than the rule, when it comes to sex workers finding justice.
We want to thank the women for coming forward despite a climate that does not encourage them to do so. The streets are safer thanks to these sex worker’s bravery. As always we are here for any sex worker who needs us, regardless of circumstance. Please call us on 085 824 9305.”
Today is World Day against Trafficking in Persons and we call on the government and the Gardaí to stop conflating consensual sex work and trafficking so that resources could be used where they are needed most: prevention of trafficking.
Kate Mc Grew, director of the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) and current sex worker said “Client criminalisation, also known as the Nordic Model, was introduced in Ireland in 2017 to protect vulnerable people in sex work, but instead, the most vulnerable sex workers are more at risk of violence and exploitation. Criminalisation of any aspect of sex work drives sex work underground which means more difficulty finding those vulnerable to exploitation, including trafficking victims.”
Migrants are overwhelmingly the targets of brothel raids. Anti-trafficking laws are often used as a tool of immigration instead of care and refuge. The reality is that in Ireland many more sex workers have been arrested than clients. Workers are often asked to leave the country or face prosecution. This flies in the face of the care and the rights-based approach that the state is supposed to show.
The state’s anti-trafficking endeavours focus overwhelmingly on criminalisation and “awareness-raising” of sex trafficking. Very little attention is paid to the larger problem of labour trafficking in Ireland. This is not to minimise the very serious crime of sex trafficking. Decriminalisation of sex work would not mean that sex trafficking would become legal.
Prevention of trafficking is better than criminalisation. If we want to help the most vulnerable in sex work leave, we need to have safety nets in place, such as access to housing, childcare, healthcare or anything that alleviates why the person entered sex work in the first place.
Sex workers are the best people placed to aid in the fight against sex trafficking. Sex workers want to be allies, and we are best placed to do so. But the law does not respond to the circumstances of deep poverty, domestic violence, homelessness, and drug mis-use that lead some to becoming susceptible to trafficking.”
Kate McGrew, current sex worker and director of the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI), said “The Sex Workers Alliance are horrified to learn of the jailing of two sex workers at Naas District Court yesterday, one of whom is pregnant, less than one week after International Sex Workers Day. The facts of this case show the 2017 Sexual Offences Law is not fit for purpose. There were no clients present, very little money and no evidence of the workers being coerced in to their job.”
She continued “The change in law in 2017 was heralded as a law that would protect sex workers. But we at SWAI cannot understand how jailing two young migrant women will protect or rescue them in any way. Their crime, for working together for safety, is not a violent crime and there are no victims.
“Prior to the change in law in 2017 the maximum sentence for so-called brothel keeping was 6 months. When misinformed politicians and policymakers speak about how the law has decriminalised workers they completely ignore that sex workers working together for safety risk increased penalties. We repeat: the Nordic Model does not decriminalise sex workers. This is not justice gone wrong, this is how the law was designed to work.
“Even those who support the law cannot support the prosecution of two women under these laws. We in SWAI feel this is an egregious waste of Garda time and resources. These are two women working together, whose apartment was put under surveillance by the Gardai.
“When we fought last year to repeal the 8th amendment we spoke of care and compassion for those who are pregnant. Are we really ready to stand over the jailing of a young pregnant migrant who was working together with another woman for safety? Is this the justice system we want for our country? We have a long and shameful past of institutionalising ‘fallen women’. The clear contempt in the way the judge spoke to and about these women is very reminiscent of our dark history of Magdalene laundries and Mother and Baby homes.
“Sex workers want to be safe and we want to trust the state and its services in upholding our rights. But cases like this erode the already precarious trust that workers have in state services. Next year, there will be a three year review of the 2017 Sexual Offences Act. The Sex Workers Alliance will be calling for full decriminalisation of sex workers in the review.”
Men ignored by sex work law because it does not suit the ‘helpless victim’ propaganda, says university expert
Both sex workers and Gardaí have known about these criminals for some time but sex workers refuse to contact the Garda because trust in Gardaí is at an all-time low since the law changed in 2017. 
