Sir – I read with disbelief Fionola Meredith’s article about the sex industry in Ireland (Opinion, December 28th). This article seeks to slam, as “radical feminists and religious conservatives”, those behind the Turn off the Red Light Campaign who lobbied for the introduction of the recently enacted Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) (Amendment) Act 2013. This article is predicated entirely on a statement that “the second most important and hard won freedom is the right of Sex Workers to say Yes”, while entirely ignoring the first fundamental human right of a person, whether this be a man, woman or child, to say No when being trafficked, held against their will and repeatedly raped for the profit of those unscrupulous gangs engaged in human trafficking for the gratification of others.
There are clearly a number of significant facts not considered by the article's author: According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) persons involved in the sex industry fall outside the definition of decent work – which is described as productive work under conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity, in which rights are protected and adequate remuneration and provision for their social welfare is provided. An international study that investigated the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation, entitled, The Wrong Way to Equality, recommended states should be encouraged to enact civil and criminal sanctions to hold customers accountable for their behaviour. Before the Irish Government enacted the recent legislation it was the "prostitute" who was deemed to be breaking the law while pimps, criminals and customers got off scot-free.
The groups behind the Turn off the Red Light Campaign were concerned with the increasing number of men, women and children being trafficked into this country by the illicit sex industry to satisfy a growing demand from clients. These groups included many civil society organisations including trade unions.
My own union, the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) was the first trade union to be so involved, not for the narrow and conservative reasons put forward by the article’s author, but in defence of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. If, by our actions we manage to save even one child from the horrendous exploitation of the sex industry we may have achieved something for real people in the real world, and not the world as seen by some through rose-tinted glasses. – Yours, etc,
EAMON DEVOY,
General Secretary,
TEEU
Gardiner Row, Dublin 1.