I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House to reply to this matter which requires urgent action. The recent study carried out by Barnardo's child care workers contains disturbing information on child prostitution in this city which requires an urgent Government response. The study revealed there are a growing number of young people and children, male and female, involved in selling sex on the streets of Dublin at night. Some of these individuals are as young as 12 years of age.
These young people come from a range of backgrounds, often from abusive and violent homes. They have been observed by Barnardo's child care workers, either alone or in groups of two or three, working the streets — in particular areas such as Westmoreland Street, Benburb Street, the Phoenix Park and Pearse Street — being picked up in cars and returned to the same locations. For example, on Friday, 15 November 1996 ten young people, all male, were observed soliciting in Westmoreland Street. Drug abuse and addiction among these young people is all too common and many of them are obliged to sleep rough and have no homes to which they can return.
I call for the establishment by the Minister for Health of a pilot project, involving all relevant Departments, statutory bodies — including the Garda Síochána — and voluntary organisations, to reach out to children and young people involved in prostitution in our capital's city centre. This project must be established quickly to prevent an escalation of the problem. What is not required is another committee or report. Only by effective action "on the street" can we hope to come to grips with the real issues, identify the extent of the problem and understand the factors that led these young people to become involved in prostitution.
The Minister and the Minister of State are in a position to take effective action which does not involve the introduction of legislation or the establishment of further committees or advisory groups. As a result of the findings of the Barnardo's report, we have an opportunity to discover the real facts.
The young people involved must be contacted by experienced workers and have access to a safe house or drop-in centre. They will need to experience an informal, supportive environment where they can receive counselling, advice and education in matters of personal hygiene and health. They will also need assistance in developing skills to enable them to replace their current income through more socially acceptable activities. In some instances, they will need help to rebuild relationships with their families or develop more positive social networks. Some will need to be linked to more specialist services to adequately deal with the psychological trauma they suffered and the complexities of their experiences.
It is essential to understand the factors that led these young people into homelessness and prostitution if other people are to be saved from this experience. Primarily, young people beginning to drift away from their families, schools and communities must be identified and given support to keep them in their local environment. There is a need for further support structures to resolve family difficulties locally, particularly where adolescents and pre-adolescents are involved. There is also a need to keep them within the school system because, once they drop out, there is usually no other safety net for them. There is a need to help them access social networks within their communities — sports organisations, football clubs and recreational centres — and build positive relationships with adults.
At a time when the economy is booming, it is totally unacceptable that so many of our children are involved in prostitution on the streets of Dublin. This study demonstrates clearly that action by the Government is immediately required. I urge the Minister of State to respond to the realistic proposals I have put forward.
