NG0 Forum on Human Rights: Far from its image as "harmless fun", lapdancing is the equivalent of a "gateway drug" into the global sex industry, a Garda officer has told a human rights conference in Dublin at the weekend.women subjected to violence and economic exploitation.
The women working in lapdancing clubs, most of them non-nationals, are frequently subjected to violence and economic exploitation, he told the sixth annual NGO Forum on Human Rights, organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Sgt Alan Bailey, a member of the Garda taskforce set up to combat trafficking in women, outlined the results of Operation Quest, in which five lap-dancing clubs were raided in March 2003.
About 100 women were arrested though all but two were released immediately, he said. None of the women was prosecuted, but a number agreed to voluntary repatriation.
Sgt Bailey said the women arrested came from 27 different countries; 17 from Estonia, 16 from the Czech Republic, 14 from Lithuania and nine from Hungary. Others came from Venezuela, Mongolia, Mexico, Canada, Nigeria and South Africa.
Almost €1 million in cash was seized and a number of club owners later made substantial settlements with the Revenue Commissioners. Three of the clubs had since closed.
All the women came from a poor background, aside from one woman from the US who had spent her "legacy" and couldn't go home. They had their travel costs paid, were picked up at the airport or port and housed in flats provided by the clubs.
Sgt Bailey said there were many stories about the huge sums the women were supposed to be earning. "On the face of it, this was a very attractive life in which girls earned huge sums in return for a minimal lowering of moral standards. However, a totally different picture emerged from talking to the girls themselves."
The women were totally indebted to the club-owners, to whom they owed large amounts of money. Of the average €25-€40 paid by a customer for a lapdance, half went to the owners, and some clubs even deducted a further cut, allegedly for "government tax".
In addition, fines were levied on a regular basis when a woman was late, when complaints were made by customers or for "improper dress". A percentage of their earnings was deducted for "free" entertainment and the women were told they could not change employment.
Some women had work permits but when these were no longer available, they were advised to register as students. One club had even set up a language school as a front for importing lap-dancers.
"Lapdancing is often seen as a harmless activity. We disagree, and say it involves the total exploitation of women. It should be seen as a 'gateway drug' into the sex industry," Sgt Bailey said.
Ms Geraldine Rowley, assistant director of Ruhama, an organisation working with prostitutes, said non-national prostitutes working in brothels and flats now predominated over women working on the street.
Prostitution was more hidden than before and pimps had greater control, which they exercised in many ways. As well as the threat of violence, women were frequently moved around the country so they couldn't build up relationships with other people or support organisations.
They were also "groomed" not to trust professionals; the pimps claimed they might be deported if they did. Ms Rowley criticised a lack of resources to tackle the issue and said people were unwilling to acknowledge that women were coming here in significant numbers to work in the sex industry.
