DUBLIN — The Irish government has released a report reviewing a 2017 law that decriminalized sex work across the country.
The Sexual Offences Act 2017 decriminalized the sale of sex, while criminalizing its purchase.
According to the Irish Department of Justice, the law was intended 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."
The law required a review and assessment of the legislation's impact on sex workers after three years. That review was delayed due to COVID restrictions in 2020, and then assigned to solicitor Maura Butler in 2021.
A number of advocacy groups supported the decriminalization effort, including the Sex Worker Alliance Ireland (SWAI) and Amnesty International.
One of the provisions of the original Act was to increase penalties on "brothel keeping" — something SWAI opposed, the review notes.
"Conflicting views exist as to whether the law on brothels should be amended to acknowledge that it is safer for those who sell sexual services to work together on an equal basis, where no coercion from a third party exists," the report reads.
SWAI contends that the brothel-keeping prohibition "negatively impacts the safety of those selling sex, in particular migrants." However, Gardai, the Irish state police force, has said that it strongly opposed removing the prohibition.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International described the review as a "missed opportunity" to decriminalize sex work in total for both buyers and sellers.
In a statement, Amnesty International Ireland called on the Minister of Justice "to respect the actual evidence and decriminalize the consensual exchange of sexual services between adults."
Added Amnesty International Ireland Executive Director Stephen Bowen, "Criminalizing those who buy sex is no solution. To continue to pretend otherwise is a dereliction of the Government’s duty. We call on the new Minister for Justice to decriminalize the consensual exchange of sexual services between adults, and remove third party offences not involving abuse, coercion or exploitation."
Click here to read the full review.
