University of Limerick research finds street sex workers face ‘discriminatory behaviour’ from gardaí
NEW RESEARCH by the University of Limerick has shown that street sex workers face ‘discriminatory behaviour’ from gardaí
The report, I Must Be Some Person: Accounts from Street Sex Workers in Ireland, investigated street workers’ knowledge and experience of the legislation around sex work since the introduction of the 2017 Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act.
The Department of Justice funded research reveals that the act has drastically affected the lives of street sex workers in urban areas.
The research team argue the study is important because the voices of these street workers have largely been silent in the national discussion around legislative changes governing sex work.
The report found that one in five street sex workers interviewed had experience of being sexually exploited by the gardaí.
The findings are based on interviews with a sample of 25 street sex workers based in Dublin and Limerick, conducted by a team of researchers and peer-researchers, in a collaboration between the University of Limerick and Gender, Orientation, Sexual Health, HIV.
The report found a deep mistrust by sex workers of the gardai. It found that sex workers who face rape, violence, or other crimes felt discouraged to report such incidents for a range of reasons.
The report also found that around one in five sex workers have experienced incidents of officers manipulating a lack of knowledge of their legal rights.
This includes threatening to charge workers with prostitution, despite outdoor sex work being decriminalised in 2017.
The report found that the 2017 Act, which purportedly aimed to prevent the exploitation and sex trafficking of vulnerable people, has in fact drastically marginalised already vulnerable populations.
Dr Anca Minescu, author of the report and lecturer in psychology at University of Limerick, said: "Our findings show our current law on sex work negatively affects lives, safety, and wellbeing of sex workers.
"Portraying all sex workers in Ireland as ‘exploited victims’ and the way the Gardaí are interacting with the street sex workers contribute to violence and stigmatization.
"This enables very serious incidents of Garda misconduct against sex workers, including sexual assault and verbal abuse, and false legal information surrounding sex work spread by others.
"This also leads to further marginalisation and isolation of an already economically and psychologically vulnerable population".
The whole research team of authors and contributors, including peer-researchers, acknowledged the bravery of the street sex workers who participated in this project and shared their stories of survival.