There is widespread concern at the brutal and shocking murder of another young woman, Sinéad Kelly, in Dublin this week. She was stabbed to death on the Grand Canal bank and was, apparently, raped and badly beaten in another attack in the same area two months ago. There are also reports of other attacks on women in Dublin.
Are we doing enough to combat violence? Far from zero tolerance of crime are we settling for some quasi-acceptable level of violence? Have we created the circumstances in which women are more, not less, at risk? There is a growing problem of young women being involved in prostitution in Dublin. These attacks on this vulnerable group of women raise issues about organised crime, drugs and the increase in violence against women. An article in today's edition of The Irish Times states: “The murder of a young prostitute working in the Grand Canal area was something which had been waiting to happen”. The Irish Independent refers to mean streets and the serious problems we are encountering. One in five prostitutes interviewed in 1996 said they had been beaten up and 11 per cent said they had been raped. I welcome the work being done by the Eastern Health Board and the Women's Health Project for these women. It is extremely important that this work is properly funded and resourced.
We have come a long way since violent crimes against prostitutes would have resulted in little more than a "well, what do they expect" response. Our historic moral indignation and rejection of the women, rather than their clients, has been replaced by more practical assessment of the issues involved, but there remains ambivalence as to what should be done about the matter. A certain ambivalence surrounds the three issues that are central to this debate, prostitution, drugs and violence. We are not doing everything in our power to give women real choices in their lives so that they do not need to consider prostitution as a way of earning money. Despite the increasing awareness and revulsion of violence against women, we are still not reaching or changing the attitudes of those men for whom such behaviour is the norm.
We introduced legislation in the House in 1993 to update the law. Many people expressed concern at that time that the legislation might increase the risks to women. Has the legislation been reviewed? I know the previous Minister for Justice met people working with these women and intended to review the legislation. How many people have been charged with soliciting and how many prostitutes have been prosecuted under the legislation?
The increasing number of young drug users who are turning to prostitution, often at a very young age, to finance their drugs habits raises serious questions about the availability of treatment for drug abuse. These young women are vulnerable to violence and are running serious health risks. Tensions are growing as the Garda also respond to demands by local residents who, understandably, want these women moved on. This is a complex area and the Garda are operating the provisions of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 1993. Is the reported increased confrontational relationship between women and the Garda an accurate reflection of the position? I accept, however, that the Garda are making every effort to deal with a difficult problem.
When this legislation was introduced the Tánaiste expressed concern about certain sections. A number of colleagues and I also expressed concern. During that debate it was stated that women in prostitution needed help and encouragement and not a life going before the courts, going to jail and back on the streets. It was predicted then that the legislation would give rise to blackmail and extortion and render prostitutes more vulnerable. Has this come to pass? Is this what is happening on the streets? The working party report on violence against women called for a comprehensive review of the legal framework relating to sexual and violent crimes against women. These crimes are seriously under reported. Women are not using the justice system for this purpose. This raises issues for all women, but is a particularly serious issue for more vulnerable women, such as the young woman who lost her life this week.
I raise this matter on the Adjournment in the hope that we can find ways to make progress on what are complex and difficult issues.
