Prostitution should be viewed as a violence against women and a human rights abuse with roots in gender inequality and social and economic marginalisation according to a report published today.
The report on barriers affecting women in prostitution, entitled Next Step Initiative, was published by the Dublin-based Ruhama group.
Among the findings, the report recommends that people responding to and supporting women in prostitution should take into account the absence of choice, self-worth and identity issues, and the survival and coping mechanisms employed by the women themselves.
Further research should be done into less visible forms of sexual exploitation and the link between the wider sex industry and prostitution, the report said.
It also recommends a ministerial working group examine current laws on prostitution and its impact on women.
That working group should examine the possibility of expunging women’s criminal records to facilitate their move into alternative employment. It should also look at criminalising the buyers of sexual services as opposed to the women involved.
Ruhama director Kathleen Fahy said: "We felt a need to examine more closely the personal and other challenges faced by the women . . . to get a clearer understanding of their needs and how best to respond to them."
The report was funded by the Department of Justice and researched and compiled by TSA Consultancy.
Ruhama is a non-governmental organisation that has worked with women involved in prostitution since the late eighties.