Press Release

Press release: Decriminalisation of sex work bill launched by TD Ruth Coppinger

October 20, 2025

Ruth Coppinger TD speaking at the Red Umbrella Film Festival

The bill was co-created by Red Umbrella Éireann, the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland and the Street Workers Collective. These organisations are made up of sex workers and activists who are drawing on lived experience and mountains of evidence to bring forward a piece of legislation to fully decriminalise sex work and introduce regulations that centre the safety of sex workers.

Launching the bill yesterday at the Red Umbrella Film Festival, Ruth Coppinger said “Reducing demand was a key aim of the 2017 Sexual Offences Act — this incontrovertibly has not worked, as the Minister for Justice himself admitted after the review of the legislation was published.

Crucially, violence against sex workers, either by clients or by members of the Gardaí, remains widespread and sex workers themselves have explained how the current legislation has been disempowering for them, making them therefore more vulnerable to this violence.

Gender based violence and violence against queer people is rampant in every part of society. Any hint of further marginalisation or stigmatising of sex workers, of course, may worsen the type of violence they are vulnerable to experiencing.

I am very glad to support sex worker activists who have drafted a decriminalisation bill and are launching their campaign to build up support for the same. The bill has as its heart a desire to remove any means by which sex workers can be stigmatised, repressed or harassed by the state, or in any way criminalised. Anything less is discriminatory, and furthermore is exacerbating the intersection of sexism, racism, queerphobia and anti-working-class oppressions that so many sex workers’ lives are affected by.” Ruth Coppinger will be bringing the bill to the Dáil and is seeking the support of TDs and Senators to progress the bill.

“The Nordic Model was introduced under the premise that it would keep sex workers safe. However, research has shown that since its introduction 8 years ago, violence against sex workers has increased by 92%,” says Red Umbrella Éireann.

They continue “This bill is a direct response to this policy failure. Corroborated by thorough research and consultations with sex workers, this legislation directly addresses the dangers sex workers face — from reducing the risk of being a target for predators to removing barriers to reporting exploitation.”

The Street Workers Collective added “The model of criminalisation that we currently have allows Gardaí to continue to surveil and harass sex workers under the guise of protecting us. This is really dangerous because our experience with Gardaí is a violent one – one in five street workers have been sexually abused by them. It’s crucial that we decriminalise sex work so that they don’t have the same power to target us”.

“Criminalisation also prevents sex workers who want to leave from being able to do so. Many sex workers are doing sex work because of poverty and the current law just adds more suffering on top of the hardship we already face. You cannot criminalise people out of poverty. This bill is focused on protecting sex workers in work and removing barriers for those who want to do something else rather than trapping people in a punitive system.”

Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) said “ Anyone who cares about violence against sex workers, violence against women, the rights of the LGBTQI+ community, migrants, undocumented people, people in poverty and insecure housing or homelessness, people in addiction and people with disabilities MUST support this bill.

This bill removes criminal sanctions for sex workers working together or hiring people to help them in their work, such as security or a driver. It does NOT decriminalise violence against sex workers, rape, exploitation or trafficking. The current client criminalisation and brothel-keeping laws have failed and have actively made the lives of current sex workers worse.

Since 2009, SWAI has campaigned for the decriminalisation of sex work. The bill pulls from existing decriminalisation laws in New Zealand/ Aotearoa, parts of Australia and Belgium. We are extremely proud to have co-created this bill and to have produced a piece of legislation that is evidence-based and reacts to the reality of sex workers’ lives in Ireland.”

Press release: Migrant sex workers reveal the discrimination they face in new research by SWAI

August 11, 2025

New ground-breaking research by the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland reveals the precarity and marginalisation that migrant sex workers experience when trying to access housing.

Almi Modjeska, coordinator of SWAI said “Voices of sex workers in Ireland are constantly omitted and excluded from conversations leading to laws and policies directly affecting them. This constant omission guided our approach to this research, which is why this report also includes sex workers’ recommendations for meaningful action that will improve the situation for migrant sex workers in Ireland.”

Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) said “Our research includes sex workers in all aspects of the report. The questions asked were devised with the input of active sex workers. Despite the dominant narrative framing all sex workers as victims of gender based violence, sex workers are knowledge creators and are best placed to speak about their reality. Sex workers conducted the interviews, data analysis and report writing. When we say ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’, we mean it.”

Kavanagh continued “The discussion around sex work in Ireland focuses entirely on violence against sex workers by clients, and their right to exit. The structural violence and discrimination they face from the state, the Gardaí, the housing crisis and by landlords is never mentioned. These are all issues that the government and all of us can address. Instead, all they are offered is the criminalisation of their income through laws that they were never meaningfully consulted on.”

“Housing and migration are hot-button topics here. Ireland is one of eight countries that introduced the Nordic client criminalisation model. The country is currently enduring a housing crisis, with a severe shortage of housing options. The cost-of-living crisis, which has grown from the housing crisis, makes accessing decent work difficult. We know that more people are turning to sex work in Ireland to make ends meet. Ireland criminalises clients and has broad and harsh brothel-keeping laws that prevent sex workers from working together for safety. These laws make sex work less safe and drive sex workers away from paths to justice and services that can help them.”

Molly*, our interviewer, said “As a sex worker myself and someone who has experienced homelessness and precarious housing, I felt the participants really opened up to me in a way they wouldn’t to others. It makes a huge difference to be able to be spoken to on the same level, rather than to an academic who can’t fully understand our situation”

About being interviewed by a peer researcher, Stella* said “There is a level of trust there when you know that the person who interviews you has had similar experiences and can relate to you. It is not some expert or academic who does this research to enhance their academic or professional career, but people who are affected by the same issues you are, so you know they are interviewing you because they care and want things to get better for our community.”

The research was conducted in 2023 and 2024 and aims to understand personal experiences and perspectives of migrant sex workers, focusing on the intersection of housing and sex work. Understanding the housing experiences of migrant sex workers in Ireland is important as it is key to the betterment of their wellbeing, and it unveils broader societal issues.

The issues include

a national housing crisis
historical anti-sex worker prejudice in the Irish government
society and policing
racism
discrimination, anti-migration sentiment.

Key themes of the research include:

difficulties in finding suitable accommodation
substance use
entry into sex work
experiences of discrimination and predatory behaviour by landlords and property management companies

Key takeaways

Three-quarters of participants started sex work due to financial reasons
Brothel-keeping laws prevent sex workers from protecting themselves against predatory management
Three-quarters of participants rented private accommodation, while 25% were homeless or lived in hostels
2 of the 8 are homeless, living in a hostel. Of those privately renting, 33% avail of HAP
The majority of participants lived in their current housing for 1 and 2 years
Several participants in this study have experienced eviction and some level of homelessness.
Several participants related experiences of discrimination when seeking or applying for housing

Calls to Action

Decriminalise sex work
Abolish brothel-keeping laws
Increase affordable housing
Strengthen tenant protection
Destigmatise sex work
Develop supporting housing programs

* Names changed to protect anonymity

This project was funded by ESWA (European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance as part of activities related to the ESWA programme: ‘Decent (Sex) Work and Safer Housing – multi-stakeholder dialogues on inclusion and integration of migrant sex workers in Europe’.

Migrant Sex Workers & Housing in Ireland Download

Press release: No evidence that sex workers were listened to

March 25, 2025

Actually listen to sex workers written in marker on canvas

“The review of the law governing sex work in Ireland is not worth the paper it’s written on”, says Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson of the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland.

Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) 2017 was due to be reviewed in 2020 but due to myriad delays, it was not released until yesterday. Linda Kavanagh continued “From the start, this review has been conducted in the most unethical and frustrating way possible.

The terms of reference for this review state that the review will assess “the impact of the operation of that section on the safety and well-being of persons who engage in sexual activity for payment.” There is no evidence that active sex workers support this law in this report. No weight has been given to the voices of currently active sex workers in this review and there is scant evidence that sex workers were properly engaged in this process. The onus is on the Department of Justice to do this and SWAI raised this concern during forum discussions.

From the initial survey to this final report, the review has taken the stance that the law is in and of itself a positive thing. SWAI fundamentally disagrees with this position and is supported by extensive evidence that sex workers are harmed by these laws.

“There is no way to police the purchase of sex without surveilling sex workers. This review supports wasting Garda resources and increasing surveillance powers. Is the Department of Justice going to ignore how Gardaí have abused their powers? Where is the Department of Justice commissioned ‘I Must Be Some Person: Accounts from

Street Sex Workers in Ireland’ report?

Minister O’Callaghan has admitted that demand for the purchase of sex hasn’t been reduced, so we ask, how can this report say that the law has made progress towards its objectives? Our concerns about the brothel-keeping laws, echoed by the sex workers who were spoken to, were dismissed because “the official statistics identify a shift away from the targeting of the seller to the purchaser”. Only 15 people have been prosecuted for purchasing sex! This also overlooks the fact that brothel-keeping raids and welfare checks to disrupt sex workers don’t end in convictions, but the consequences for sex workers are severe. Gardaí are still targeting sex workers in this way.

Where is the evidence that the law has reduced trafficking? Where is the proof that the law has removed barriers to sex workers accessing social infrastructure or paths to justice? Does it show that sex workers now increasingly report to the Gardaí when they want to report abuse? Does it show that violence against sex workers has decreased under the law? The answer to all of this is NO!

For seven years we have listed how the law has affected the safety of sex workers. Condoms are used as evidence that sex work has occurred, flying in the face of HIV prevention plans and highlighting the hypocrisy of the government. Sex workers are forced to work alone to work legally, which is not something any other worker is forced to do.

Government policy leads people into sex work and then it ensures sex workers are less safe. Instead of offering sex workers criminalisation of their income and non-existent resources like the “two dedicated phone lines for direct contact with An Garda Síochána on a 24-hour basis” sex workers should be listened to about the reality of living and working under the law. Where are the calls for resourcing sex workers to learn about their rights?

State bodies have taken a cowardly approach to sex work. Sex workers were written out of policies and strategy documents. Sex work is framed as gender-based violence instead of an economic activity, which ignores the autonomy of sex workers, removes their labour rights and neglects male workers altogether. Sex worker-led organisations are denied funding. This myopic approach creates a feedback loop that means that the state is praised for actions by organisations that do not engage with sex workers in meaningful ways.

The law has failed on its own terms, that much is clear. What isn’t clear is how the government and the Department of Justice can continue to ignore the health and safety of a population that it recognises as vulnerable.

Press release: Ireland’s sex work laws are fueling violence and endangering lives

December 17, 2024

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers (17th Dec) exposes how laws that claim to protect are, in reality, resulting in harassment, violence and even death. The structural violence and stigma that sex workers face in Ireland are a result of a whorephobic* state that ignores sex workers’ needs in favour of laws based on ideology rather than safety.

No Shame no stigma, no stigma, cop on & talk about it Written in black marker on canvas

“The past 12 months have been oppressive for sex workers in Ireland,” says Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI). “In January we reported scam texts targetting migrant sex workers that escalated to extreme threats of violence and death. Later in the year, we described the stalking and harassment by self-appointed monitors of sex workers, who compiled dossiers of information about sex workers and sent it to media, Gardaí and local politicians. We welcomed the Gardaí’s statement that these actions were concerning and that they endangered sex workers.”

“However this year, the police have been failing sex workers. We received no contact when a predator stalked streets, who had previous convictions and was suspected of attempting to abduct and rape sex workers. A PSNI officer was accused of paying for sex and the PSNI admitted a woman being prosecuted for trafficking in Northern Ireland could credibly be a trafficking victim.

This year we learned that the Department of Justice is finalising the review into sex work laws in Ireland. This is deeply unethical and showcases the outgoing government’s contempt for sex workers. The review has been repeatedly delayed and the newest date that has been reported is early 2025. This process has been farcical.

SWAI demands the release of this review as soon as possible because we know these laws are failing. The law did nothing to stop a brutal rapist who was jailed for 18 years in July of this year. In fact, statistics published by the courts and the Minister for Justice in October are proof that sex work laws are a complete failure. Again, we ask, who are these laws for?

“There has been a lot of discussion about violence against women on this island this year. We finally got confirmation that Paiche Onyemaechi who was killed in 2004, was a sex worker. Her case shows that even when a woman is murdered there is shame about outing her sex worker status. New research published this year shows that any aspect of the criminalisation of sex work harms sex workers themselves. This research also highlights that sex workers in Ireland have been ignored about the harms of the law and that, among the countries participating, sex workers in Ireland felt more stigmatised than in other countries.”

One sex worker has said “We are everywhere including in your workspaces. We’re nurses, teachers, paramedics, and the parents at the school gate. Take off the Hollywood lens about what you think sex workers are.”

Kavanagh continued “We demand the new government, in whatever form it takes, recognises the violence it perpetrates against sex workers in Ireland. Whether it be through using condoms as evidence that sex work has occurred, the housing and cost of living crises that push people into sex work or the stigmatisation and silencing of a marginalised community, the state is a vector of violence. We need Ireland to get real about sex work.”

* Whorephobia is a term used to describe hate speech and overt discrimination against sex workers. It intersects with racism, xenophobia, classism, and transphobia, which often leads to structural discrimination, violence, and abuse. Whorephobia is deeply ingrained within societies…. – NSWP definition of whorephobia

Minister for Justice’s last act is to betray sex workers

November 24, 2024

Reports that the review of the law governing sex work in Ireland has been postponed until 2025 is a significant failure of accountability and transparency.

The Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) condemns the Minister for Justice’s continued delays in releasing the promised review of the Nordic Model of sex work laws. The long-awaited review was expected to come out in the next few weeks, as we learned from the media in September. However, it will now be published in early 2025. This delay conveniently extends beyond the tenure of the current government.

“How can we believe the Minister for Justice about anything when we are continually lied to about the date of this report?” says Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for SWAI. “We learned this news through the media, which has been a feature of this farcical process over the past 4 years.”

“This review will be 5 years delayed come 2025. The can has been kicked down the road because there is a lack of political support, unlike other laws that have experienced strong public backing, such as the abortion law. However, this does not mean that health, safety, bodily autonomy, and lives are not at risk, just as they are at risk without access to abortion. Will the new government formed after November 29th ignore marginalised communities as much as the current one has?”

“The Department of Justice assured The Journal that sex workers were engaged in this process. We await evidence of this claim because when we engaged with the former independent reviewer, who has since stepped back, we were informed that there was not enough time to consult more sex workers. That was in 2022.”

“Delaying the review while the laws continue to harm and kill is unconscionable and further compounds the damage caused by a deeply flawed legal framework. The Nordic Model has devastated the safety and wellbeing of sex workers in Ireland. Sex workers in Ireland face a rising tide of violence, evictions, and isolation due to the Nordic Model’s criminalisation of clients and punitive brothel-keeping laws. The tragic murder of sex worker Geila Ibram in 2023 highlights the direct consequences of a system that pushes sex work underground. Current laws prioritise ideology over evidence.”

“Brothel-keeping laws criminalise shared workspaces, leaving sex workers vulnerable to eviction, exploitation, and homelessness. Criminalisation isolates sex workers, limits access to peer support, and erodes trust in Gardaí, with only 1% of sex workers reporting crimes compared to 81% of the general population.”

“Research consistently demonstrates that decriminalisation is essential for reducing violence and improving safety. Meanwhile, the Nordic Model forces workers to prioritise client safety over their own, exacerbating risks and undermining their autonomy.”

“International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is less than a month away. Tomorrow is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence starts next week. The Irish government’s inaction and contempt for sex workers’ lives is a disgrace—we will not stand by while their harmful laws continue to maim, silence, and kill.”

Press release: Garda and court stats are proof that sex work laws are a complete failure

October 18, 2024

Statistics published by the Minister for Justice on the 8th of October demonstrate that sex work laws are failing on their own terms. Meanwhile, sex workers in Ireland have faced increased violence, threats, murder and stigma.

“Who exactly are these laws for?” asked Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI). “The statistics confirm that the law is not reducing the demand for sex work. The number of summons increases year on year. Since its introduction, only a handful of clients have been prosecuted. This shows the law is not fit for purpose.”

“We do not advocate for the prosecution of clients because we know, and evidence has repeatedly shown, that any form of criminalisation of sex work harms sex workers themselves. This focus on punishing clients has done nothing to improve the situation for sex workers and has actively made things worse, as we warned when the law was debated.”

“The 2017 Sexual Offences Act was introduced with a promise to shift the burden of criminality away from those selling sexual services and onto those purchasing them. The reality, however, is that sex workers continue to operate in a climate of fear, where they are vulnerable to violence and exploitation, precisely because of the law. SWAI has long warned that the criminalisation of clients would drive the industry further underground, making it more dangerous for sex workers.”

“The figures released confirm what SWAI has been saying for years: the law is not protecting sex workers. Instead, it has created a hostile environment where clients and sex workers themselves are deterred from reporting violence or exploitation for fear of prosecution, leaving sex workers more isolated and at risk. Brothel-keeping laws are written so broadly that sex workers who are working together for safety are prosecuted and jailed, as we saw in 2019.”

“Despite its original, misguided intent to protect vulnerable individuals, the figures indicate that the law has failed to meet its objectives. Year after year, the US Trafficking in Person’s report highlights Ireland’s failure to prosecute traffickers and identify trafficking victims.”

“You only have to look at advertising sites to see the number of people in sex work has not fallen. Again we ask, who are these laws for?”

“While the delusional Act was supposed to allow sex workers to report violence without fear of prosecution, this so-called protection has not translated into meaningful support.”

“Recent research has shown that sex workers in Ireland feel stigma more profoundly than their counterparts in Scotland and New Zealand. We have also reported on stalking and harassment of sex workers in Kerry, Galway and Carlow in the past week. These are just two of many examples of how the law has made sex workers more vulnerable, more at risk, and less safe”

“The statistics speak for themselves—this law is failing sex workers. The criminalisation of clients has made our community more vulnerable, more at risk, and less safe. We need to listen to sex workers and the realities they face. It’s time for the government to act, decriminalise sex work, and provide real protections for those in sex work.”

Press release: Stalking and harassment of sex workers in Kerry

October 11, 2024

The Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) wholeheartedly condemns the actions of a group targetting sex workers in Kerry.

Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for SWAI said “Need we remind people that sex work is supposed to be decriminalised in Ireland? Surveillance of women going to a place of work by an anonymous group is harassment.”

She continues “The reports show no evidence that exploitation is occurring. Self-appointed monitors of migrant women are dangerous. Ask yourself, would you be comfortable with someone sending your image from social media and photos of where you work to strangers? This is stalking behaviour!”

“Brothel-keeping laws are written so broadly that these sex workers could be merely sharing a space to keep costs down and to ensure their safety. These actions can jeopardise real Gardaí investigations and open people up to blackmail. Nothing this group is doing addresses trafficking or exploitation.”

“This behaviour by a vigilante group is a continuation of the harassment sex workers have faced in Ireland in recent years.

In January we highlighted that migrant sex workers were being targeted with a phishing scam that escalated into extreme threats of violence, including threats of murder.

April last year saw Geila Ibram, a sex worker in Limerick, killed.”

“It is difficult for us to see that this group feels empowered to contact the Gardaí and politicians while less than 1% of sex workers report crimes against them. How can sex workers feel safe with the occurances? Is it any wonder that sex workers in Ireland feel stigma more sharply than in other countries?

We expect any politicians and organisations concerned with the welfare of women to condemn these actions publicly.”

Sex workers in Ireland face more stigma than other countries says new research

October 3, 2024

Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) and other sex workers’ rights advocates have welcomed the new research published today by Lynzi Armstrong, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand that finds that criminalisation harms sex workers in Ireland. This research shows that sex workers in Ireland have been ignored about the harms of the law and that, among the countries participating, sex workers in Ireland felt more stigmatised than in other countries.

Linda Kavanagh from SWAI said “The pending review of Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences Act) 2017 must call for the full decriminalisation of sex work and recognise the harms of the current law. Anything less will prove to us, once and for all, that this review process is a farce.”

Prof Armstrong’s new research highlights the mental health impacts that sex workers in Ireland face, compared to other jurisdictions. It echoes previous research that sex workers are not listened to and that client criminalisation exacerbates risks facing vulnerable sex workers..

The review of the law affecting the safety of sex workers in Ireland is expected to be released in the coming weeks. Throughout this review process, and despite multiple requests, there has been a lack of transparency and meaningful consultation with sex workers.

“This review must provide proof that sex workers were listened to about their health and safety under this law. There is a mountain of evidence from sex workers themselves that violence and fear have increased under the law, and trust in Gardaí has fallen. By forcing sex workers to work alone, the state is forcing them into harm’s way. Working safely and working legally are now incompatible, under the law” said Linda Kavanagh.

Molly from Street Workers Collective Ireland says “This report adds to the record of sex workers’ experiences that demonstrate that the 2017 law is harmful, and that the damaging impacts of it are felt more acutely by the sex workers who are struggling the most – precisely those this law maintains to want to protect. Many sex workers continue to face poverty, precarious migration status, housing insecurity and homelessness and are now left to work in even more dangerous and challenging circumstances than before. The law provides no remedy to the real issues sex workers face. It only increases the risks. If the review is an honest evaluation of the safety of sex workers in Ireland, then it should be recommending decriminalisation. The way in which it was conducted however means that we can have no confidence that the needs of sex workers will be taken into account – we weren’t consulted in the first place, and the corollaries of this are clearly visible in the current legislation.”

Lucy Smyth from Ugly Mugs said “The 2017 Act has broken the already damaged relationship between people in sex work and an Garda Síochána. I am deeply concerned at the shocking levels of abuse and violence I am now seeing directed at the sex work community on a daily basis and the lack of any appropriate response to this by the State. This Review must urgently address this issue but I am very worried that it will not.”

Gillian Wylie, Trinity College Dublin, and board member of the Irish Sex Work Research Network (ISWRN) stated “We welcome Prof Armstrong’s new report that reflects the findings of our member’s research. The ISWRN is a sex work research network whose board includes academics from major universities across Ireland. The ISWRN reached out to the Department of Justice to try to engage with this review process and is disappointed that the Department of Justice declined to do so. The ISWRN is disappointed the Department of Justice has so far failed to take on board the significant body of evidence based on our respective research and analysis of sex work and prostitution policy in Ireland over twenty years, spanning the period before and after legislative change in 2017.”

Stephen Bowen, Executive Director of Amnesty Ireland said “Amnesty’s research in Ireland too has found that effectively criminalising sex workers is causing them serious harm. This new piece of work is an important addition to the growing body of independent expert research on Ireland’s 2017 law, and where people engaging in sex work are included. There is no credible evidence or basis to suggest this law is in any way helping sex workers access justice, support, or exit routes should they want.”

“Regrettably, this review report is being drafted by the Department that created this law, so we fear it will recommend retention. Obviously, we hope our concerns will prove unfounded. We make a final appeal to the Minister for Justice to do the right thing, and recommend decriminalisation and provision of actual supports for sex workers. Otherwise, the report must be withdrawn and the review recommenced, not as some legal formality but because sex workers’ safety and lives are at stake.”

Research

“In an ideal world, it would be fully decriminalised”: Stigma, discrimination, and sex work laws in Scotland, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland.
https://openaccess.wgtn.ac.nz/articles/report/Stigma_Discrimination_and_Sex_Work_Laws_Insights_from_Aotearoa_New_Zealand_Scotland_the_Republic_of_Ireland/26778190?file=49574457

Links to Amnesty Ireland’s research and testimonials from sex workers

Sex Workers’ Rights

Sex workers lives under the law HIV Ireland research https://www.hivireland.ie/policy-news-and-media/research/sex-worker-lives-under-the-law/

Report published on impact of sex purchase offence in Northern Ireland
https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/news/report-published-impact-sex-purchase-offence#:~:text=The%20review%2C%20carried%20out%20by,its%20operation%20after%20three%20years.

HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention Community Engagement for Suicide Prevention: Exploring Sex Worker Experiences in Ireland

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/4/mental-health-services/connecting-for-life/publications/grant-scheme-paper-6.pdf

Press Release: Current sex work law did nothing to stop brutal rapist jailed for 18 years

July 30, 2024

A serial predator is now off the streets thanks to brave sex workers coming forward, against all odds

Yesterday Mr. Justice Tony Hunt sentenced Aaron Barwell (29) to 18 years in prison for the rape and assault of three sex workers.

Nordic Model Murders Sex Workers, handwritten on cloth with black and red markers

Mardi Kennedy, coordinator of the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) commented on the case today. “By noting that ladies who pursue this type of activity might be less tempted to bring it further, we feel the judge is acknowledging that the current sex work laws in Ireland have pushed sex workers away from paths to justice.”

She continues “Less than 1% of sex workers report crimes against them to the Gardaí, compared to 90% of the general population who have trust in Gardaí. We applaud these brave women who came forward to ensure that a predator known to the sex worker community has been jailed. But we must note that many sex working victims do not feel they can report to Gardaí.”

Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for SWAI also said “The details of these abhorrent crimes show how the law has forced sex workers to deprioritise their own safety. In all of these cases, Aaron Barwell gave a false address which, as the judge notes, shows forward planning for his crimes.

Client criminalisation and laws that prevent sex workers from working together for safety or hiring a security guard, did absolutely nothing to stop this predator. This case highlights the urgent need for better protections and legal reforms to ensure the safety and rights of sex workers in Ireland and underscores the severe consequences of neglecting these needs and not listening to sex workers.

The current Nordic model of client criminalisation has proven detrimental to sex workers’ safety. Research and lived experiences have shown that these laws push the industry underground, increasing the risk of violence and exploitation.

Do we need to remind people that a sex worker was murdered just last year in Limerick? Everywhere the Nordic model has been implemented, violence against sex workers has increased. Client criminalisation forces sex workers to prioritise client safety over their own, leading to riskier behaviours and working conditions.”

Decriminalisation is the only viable solution to protect sex workers. This would reduce stigma, allow sex workers to work together for safety, perform their own risk assessments and facilitate better access to health and support services. The current government policies push people into sex work through economic hardship and then ensure they are not safe by criminalising their clients and working conditions.

Sex workers deserve better than laws that put them in harm’s way. They need to be heard and included in the policy-making process that affects their lives. We cannot trust the law review that is being unethically finalised by the Department of Justice.

We want to reach out to these sex workers and offer a listening ear and support.”

1 year on, Irish state and Gardaí don’t care about the murder of a sex worker

April 4, 2024

Anniversary of Geila Ibram’s Murder Highlights Continued Neglect of Sex Workers’ Safety by Irish Government

As we approach the first anniversary of the tragic murder of Geila Ibram, a sex worker in Limerick, the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) berates the Gardaí for continued lack of contact, while violent offenders prey on this community.

Linda Kavanagh, spokesperson for SWAI said “We recently learned through the media that another predator is preying on sex workers in Ireland. We have had no contact with the Gardaí about this, despite our attempts to open up lines of communication recently. We can confirm that Ugly Mugs, a safety app used by sex workers, was also not warned. Outdoor workers, such as street workers, are sitting ducks while the Gardaí refuse to use what little safety networks sex workers have to keep them safe. Gardaí pose as clients and lie to sex workers to get access to them, under the guise of so-called welfare checks, but refuse to warn them of dangerous attackers operating in the area. No wonder 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. ”

Mardi Kennedy, Coordinator of SWAI condemns the Irish government’s continued neglect of sex workers’ safety and well-being. “Geila’s murder stands as a grim reminder of the dangers faced by sex workers under the Nordic Model of client criminalisation, which prioritises ideology over evidence and endangers the lives of those it claims to protect.

Despite repeated warnings from sex workers and allies during the debates surrounding the introduction of the Nordic Model in 2015-2016, the government has failed to acknowledge the real consequences of this legislation. The Nordic Model, implemented in 2017, has only exacerbated violence against sex workers, as evidenced by Geila Ibram’s tragic death and the ongoing harassment, threats, and violence faced by sex workers across Ireland.”

SWAI demands immediate action from the government to address the urgent concerns facing sex workers in Ireland. Ministerial refusal to engage with SWAI and other stakeholders, coupled with the farcical review process of sex work laws conducted by the Department of Justice, reflects a blatant disregard for the voices and safety of sex workers. The delay, lack of transparency, and failure to include active sex workers in the review process raise serious questions about the government’s commitment to understanding the impact of these laws.

Mardi continues “In areas where reform is needed, the government has a strong track record of bringing in independent experts, and these experts have produced groundbreaking and change-making reports. As a matter of principle and in the pursuit of good governance, we demand that the Department of Justice reverse its decision to finalise the sex work law review in-house. It sets an alarming precedent that will have disturbing effects for many other marginalised groups.”

Linda added “The government’s refusal to listen to sex workers and its prioritisation of ideology over evidence and research is both unfathomable and dangerous. Geila Ibram’s murder should have been a wake-up call, but instead, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears. How many more sex workers must suffer or die before the government takes meaningful action and decriminalises sex work?”

In addition to the ongoing threats and violence faced by sex workers, the criminalisation of sex work exacerbates mental health challenges, housing insecurity, financial precarity, and isolation within the sex worker community. SWAI calls for the decriminalisation of sex work as a crucial step towards ensuring the safety, rights, and dignity of sex workers in Ireland.

As we mark the anniversary of Geila Ibram, SWAI urges the Irish government to prioritise the safety, well-being, and rights of sex workers by ending the harmful criminalisation of sex work and engaging meaningfully with sex workers in policy decisions that impact their lives.