Officers believe a significant number of the sex workers in the country are based in the area, which is located a short drive from Dublin Airport. Several well-informed sources have told TheJournal. This is due to the fact that the women are all situated in apartments either next to each other or in a complex feet away.
While the number is relatively small — a check on a well-known sex work website found 55 people were operating out of that area — it is the concentration of sex workers which is troubling officers and also locals.
The law states while sex workers will not be prosecuted, it is the organised element which they are clamping down on. The Immigrant Council of Ireland along with prostitution support group Ruhama estimate that there are between women available to buy for sex nationwide at any one time. They forced their way into several apartments and conducted searches. It is understood they seized a number of electronic devices.
Inquiries were also made by officers into a number of other apartment complexes in the area. However, no raids took place at these locations. Women understood to be from Moldova, Romania and Brazil were working in these apartments, it is understood. In , the Criminal Law Sexual Offences Act passed through the Oireachtas meaning the buyers of sex would now be criminalised.
The organisation has also advocated for many years for the repealing of the offence for soliciting for prostitution to give the clear social message that no person should be criminalised for their own exploitation. However, the Sex Workers Association of Ireland SWAI has argued strongly that the changes mean that women in the industry are now in increased danger due to the new laws.
