Prositutes are no longer the focus in prostitution crackdown

LittleBook

Gardai and PSNI Raid 140 Brothels

GARDAÍ AND the PSNI have carried out the biggest ever crackdown against the vice trade across the island of Ireland, raiding 140 brothels and related properties in a day-long operation targeting Irish and foreign prostitution syndicates.

Some 120 of the raids were carried out in the Republic, mostly targeting major urban centres but including searches in almost every county in the country.

The cross-border operation – run in the Republic under the anti-vice Operation Quest – was spearheaded by the Garda’s Organised Crime Unit. It is unprecedented in scale.

The brothels were being operated from apartments, houses and in some cases hotels. Some of the gangs specialised in offering sex for sale during lunchtime.

There were raids in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Donegal and Meath, as well as many other counties.

The gangs targeted are spearheaded by leading criminals from the Republic and the North, though gang leaders from Eastern Europe and Africa are also involved.

Sources said while many of the women working in the brothels were living in the North or the Republic legally, others had been trafficked in and had been sold between gangs.

The raids began before first light yesterday and were ongoing last night. Three people were in custody yesterday evening: two women in their 20s and a man in his 40s.

A large amount of documentation, cash, mobile phones and computers was also seized.

Gardaí said the low number of arrests underlined that the women found in the raided brothels were not the focus of the operation.

The searches followed months of planning by all of the main specialist Garda units and were informed by intelligence gathered in every Garda division across the country.

As well as the Organised Crime Unit leading the investigation, yesterday’s searches involved members of the Criminal Assets Bureau, National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Garda National Immigration Bureau.

The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation is also involved in investigating the gangs’ international money-laundering operations.

The latest information I heard (on Newstalk this morning) is that eight people have been arrested, none of them prostitutes, and three women (suspected of being trafficked) have been taken to a secure location.

The people interviewed said (and, if it's true, I agree) that it is hugely significant that it has been made clear to prostitutes that they will be treated as witnesses rather than criminals and that the message to the brothel operators and pimps is that they are the targets from now on.

Even aside from the point that no prostitutes were arrested, I was surprised at the small number of arrests in an operation involving @ 130 locations and 370 officers.

But the commentator on Newstalk pointed out that this was a hugely successful intelligence gathering operation as well which would help investigations into human trafficking, money laundering, fraud and organised crime.

reprazant

I was under the impression that prostitution is not illegal but buying sex and running a brothel are.

So the prostitutes are not doing anything wrong but the johns and brothel owners are the ones breaking the laws.

Might be wrong on that though.

LittleBook

reprazant wrote: »

I was under the impression that prostitution is not illegal but buying sex and running a brothel are.

So the prostitutes are not doing anything wrong but the johns and brothel owners are the ones breaking the laws.

Might be wrong on that though.

No, you're right, prostitution itself is not an offence under Irish Law but all of the activities around it (soliciting, loitering, advertising, brothel-keeping, etc) are illegal.

Fluorescence

reprazant wrote: »

I was under the impression that prostitution is not illegal but buying sex and running a brothel are.

So the prostitutes are not doing anything wrong but the johns and brothel owners are the ones breaking the laws.

Might be wrong on that though.

I'm pretty sure that's the case, yes. The prostitution itself isn't illegal, but the circumstances that allow for it are.

I am glad to hear they're trying to target trafficking and money laundering though instead of the girls.

LittleBook

Fluorescence wrote: »

I am glad to hear they're trying to target trafficking and money laundering though instead of the girls.

Yes, this is what I'm wondering.

If prostitution isn't illegal, why was it necessary to explain the low number of arrests during these raids ... did they usually arrest the prostitutes in this kind of operations?

Also, the lady from Ruhama on Newstalk this morning seemed very pleased about this "new" approach and said it would help prostitutes who wanted to get out because they no longer needed to worry about trouble if they approached the gardai to get help or make a complaint.

Fluorescence

Maybe they're hoping more people will come forward without fear of retribution if they hear that prostitutes aren't arrested. Many of the trafficked girls would be ignorant of Irish law, so mightn't even have considered this before.

Maybe it's just a poorly worded statement :P

Giselle

LittleBook wrote: »

Also, the lady from Ruhama on Newstalk this morning seemed very pleased about this "new" approach and said it would help prostitutes who wanted to get out because they no longer needed to worry about trouble if they approached the gardai to get help or make a complaint.

I don't know enough about Ruhama to have an opinion about their work either way, but its crucial that sex workers can make a complaint to the gardai if they've been abused by either pimps or punters.

By removing the fear of arrest it means that dangerous individuals will come to the attention of the police, instead of flying under the radar among prostitutes who can't report for fear of legal reprisal.

Big step in the right direction imo.

Hillmanhunter1

Giselle wrote: »

I don't know enough about Ruhama to have an opinion about their work either way, but its crucial that sex workers can make a complaint to the gardai if they've been abused by either pimps or punters.

Ruhama is a Catholic Church sponsored lobby group, specifically it is the latest production from the Good Shepherd Nuns and Our Lady of Charity Sisters, the people who previously brought us the Magdalene Launderies.

They're about as objective as pimps on this topic.

Giselle

Hillmanhunter1 wrote: »

Ruhama is a Catholic Church sponsored lobby group, specifically it is the latest production from the Good Shepherd Nuns and Our Lady of Charity Sisters, the people who previously brought us the Magdalene Launderies.

They're about as objective as pimps on this topic.

Regardless of Ruhama the point still stands that sex workers must be able to report without fear of legal reprisal.

The former Magdalene Laundry bosses as modern day sex-worker advocates is pretty close to the definition of irony though!

strandroad

LittleBook wrote: »

If prostitution isn't illegal, why was it necessary to explain the low number of arrests during these raids ... did they usually arrest the prostitutes in this kind of operations?

Perhaps prostitutes used to be arrested if they were found to have engaged in the accompanying illegal activities listed?

Hillmanhunter1

Giselle wrote: »

Regardless of Ruhama the point still stands that sex workers must be able to report without fear of legal reprisal.

I agree 100%