Sir, - In describing women in prostitution as adults who freely volunteer their services, Kevin Myers (Irishman's Diary, November 2nd), advances the "prostitution as victimless-harmless" argument.
Eastern Health Board research conducted in 1996 indicates that 20 per cent of women involved in prostitution in Dublin have been beaten up by their "customers" and 11 per cent have been raped.
More recent research carried out by the Dublin Institute of Technology's Department of Social Sciences indicates that 15 of a sample of 22 women who had been involved in prostitution became involved between the ages of 12 and 18. Twenty one of the 22 women were addicted to heroin. Eighteen were addicted before they became involved in prostitution. Thus, prostitution was a means to feed their heroin addiction.
Just under half of the sample had been sexually abused as children and the vast majority had been homeless at some point in their lives.
It is true that very little research has been done with women in prostitution in brothels, as opposed to on the streets. However, given these research findings, we do not buy Mr Myers's view of prostitution as victimless or harmless. - Yours, etc.,
Kevin Lalor, Siobhβn Quinlan, Department of Social Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6.