Vol. 473 No. 6
45 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to the views being expressed in the media by prostitutes and social workers, that the lives and well-being of prostitutes are endangered as a result of the 1993 legislation as it applies to them; if so, if she will amend the legislation to improve their safety; and the proposals, if any, she has to legalise prostitution as a solution to the problem of beatings and murder. [2176/97]
I have no plans to amend the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 1993. I should point out that prostitution is not and never has been an offence in itself. What the law seeks to do is to protect members of the public from the more intrusive aspects of prostitution, such as soliciting in the street, and to protect prostitutes from exploitation, such as pimps living on the earnings of a prostitute.
I am assured by the Garda authorities that prostitutes are afforded the same protection under the law as all other persons and that there is no evidence that the operation of the legislation referred to above can be directly linked to the incidence of attacks on prostitutes.
