New laws fail to curb sex buyers

Report's findings as activists slam criminalisation

- BY CIARA O'LOUGHLIN

A LONG-AWAITED review of sex work legislation has found that despite new laws, demand for the purchase of sexual services has not decreased.

Despite this, the report concluded that new legislation "had made progress towards its objective".

Sex workers say they "fundamentally disagree" with this stance and believe The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 - which decriminalised the sale of sex in Ireland but criminalised the purchase of sex - is putting them in more danger.

Previously, paying for sexual services was only a criminal offence if the person selling sex was a minor or a victim of trafficking.