TOBL was formed as an association in March, so we are still young. The next six months is an important time, as the Government has announced it plans, in this time frame, to engage on a public consultation on the introduction of a law to criminalise the purchase of sex.
It is of the greatest importance to us that sex workers are included in this public consultation. We plan to make our own submissions to the government and we also want to encourage as many sex workers as possible to do the same individually. We want to put the well-being of sex workers at the forefront of this debate, where it should be.
TOBL is now looking at how we can improve and grow as an association. As part of this, we took a quick look back at what we have achieved so far, and we thought we’d share this on our website:
- We have brought 10 sex workers together as a management committee to make important decisions for TOBL.
- We have drawn national media attention to sex workers’ rights in Ireland, starting with an article in the Irish Independent.
- We have built a membership of 250+ members including sex workers and non-sex workers.
- We have maintained a website – turnoffthebluelight.ie – with regular new articles on sex work in Ireland. In the last month we have had over 10,000 visits. Realtime Google Analytics chart to prove this below!
- We have maintained a Facebook page. At present we have 811 likes.
- We have maintained a Twitter account with 408 followers at present.
- We have written letters and emails to all TDs and Senators. We have also provided a facility for others to email TDs via our website.
- We have written to all organisations involved in Turn Off the Red Light (TORL) to make them aware of our concerns.
- We created a poster campaign to challenge the Irish public’s perception of sex workers. This was very successful and we have had great feedback on it from thousands of people from all across the world. The story was even picked up by BBC Brazil!
- We successfully took on search giant Google re AdWords discrimination against us, a David and Goliath story that was picked up by major news outlets in Canada and Ireland.
- We took part in events including Dublin Pride, SlutWalk London and the Dublin Women’s Mini Marathon.
- We made what we feel is a very important submission to the Department of Justice re Anonymity for sex worker victims of crime or witnesses of crime.
- We have met TDs and Senators and have been mentioned in Dáil and Seanad debates.
- We conducted important research into Brothel Keeping in Ireland, showing that most persons convicted of brothel keeping offences are not owners or managers of brothels but sex workers. This story was covered by the Irish Independent and Hotpress magazine.
- We have made sex worker and sex worker advocate friends all over the world and joined the International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE).
- We have been mentioned in the national media on numerous occasions, in newspapers like the Irish Independent and the Irish Times and in many other Irish and International news and blog websites.
We would like to note that, at the same time as we have been working hard to establish the rights of sex workers in Ireland, so have others been doing so independently to us. The Sex Workers Alliance Ireland and Feminist Ire have done great work, as have many individuals, too many to mention, who have taken an interest, written and spoken out. Well done everyone, and thank you to everyone who has cared.
