ALMOST ONE-IN-TEN MEN in Ireland have paid for sex, according to a new survey, but respondents said they didn’t do it regularly.

It marks the launch of a new all-Ireland campaign calling for men and boys “to take a stand” against prostitution and sex-trafficking.

The Red C survey askeed more than thousand adults about prostitution and trafficking, and found that 88% of men have never paid for sex.

However, the 8% who have said they did not do it regularly, while 4% made no response.

The survey also showed that 99% of women have not paid for sex, however the remaining 1% did not respond to the question.

Today’s campaign, Prostitution – We Don’t Buy it, organised by The Reach Project – is calling for men both north and south of the Border to “make a stand against a trade that exploits women and girls, and which results in profits for criminal gangs”.

It aims to raise awareness that trafficking often leads to prostitution.

CEO of Ruhama Sarah Benson said:

Prostitution is the context where most sex trafficking occurs. This independent survey tells us that Irish people believe that the sex trade in Ireland is overwhelmingly organised with the majority of women linked to pimps and traffickers.

Supporting the launch of the campaign, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said public education and awareness is “vital” in “reducing the demand for the services of victims of trafficking”.

“We all have a role to play,” she said.

The survey found:

• 79% of respondents believed criminal gangs or pimps profit most from prostitution and trafficking in Ireland.
• 72% believe women who sell sex do so due to difficult circumstances.
• 74% consider that women who sell sex have experienced some form of violence or abuse from sex buyers – women (77%) versus men (69%).

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