Do Ireland’s laws on sex work need to change?

Last week, a Brazilian man who rented out properties across rural Ireland under false pretences and used them as brothels, was jailed for nine years.

Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro, who pleaded guilty to brothel keeping, possession of child pornography, and money laundering, was linked to rental properties in counties Longford, Kildare, Cavan, Wexford, Roscommon, Leitrim and Carlow.

The case highlighted how the sex industry continues to thrive throughout Ireland, while also shining a light on the State’s 2017 legislation which made the purchase of sex illegal, but not the sale.

The legislation was designed to shift the legal burden towards those who buy sex rather than the sellers, aiming to protect those most at risk within the sex industry. But has this worked?

A long-awaited review of the legislation, which was finally published last week, acknowledged that the demand for sexual services has not decreased in recent years.

Why is enforcing this legislation so difficult and do those within the sex industry feel more protected by this law?

Irish Times reporter Órla Ryan discuses the review of Ireland’s contentious sex-work legislation.

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