Sir, – The Dutch U-turn on prostitution laws (“Dutch city places ban on teenage prostitutes”,World News, February 28th) has many lessons for lawmakers reviewing the situation here.
Your correspondent highlights the difficulties Amsterdam has “reining in” a trade which has no respect for the law and has turned the city into a European hub for trafficking and crime.
Senior gardaí have recently confirmed to the Oireachtas justice committee that Irish and foreign criminal gangs run Irish prostitution.
As an immediate measure, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter should remove the “Dutch legal model” as an option from the current review of prostitution law, given that it no longer exists in any country, even in the Netherlands.
The review must also be expedited. With more than 60 partners which make up the Turn Off the Red Light Campaign, we have been seeking change for four years. We want the gangs put out of business by targeting demand.
The continuing delay in updating our laws only benefits the pimps and traffickers. – Yours, etc,