Half of prostitutes abused as children

A study has found that half of 22 women working as prostitutes in the Dublin area reported being sexually abused as children.

The women, who were aged between 17 and 26 and interviewed mostly in Mountjoy Prison, had also experienced high levels of physical abuse, homelessness and drug addiction.

The findings of the study, A Qualitative Account of 22 Young Women’s Involvement in Prostitution, which was conducted by Siobhán Quinlan, formerly of the DIT’s School of Social Sciences and Legal Studies and now a lecturer at Blanchardstown Institute of Technology, are due to be published shortly.

It found that 11 of the 22 women were under 18 when they became involved in prostitution. Most were introduced to prostitution through friends, whereas others became involved on their own or through a family member.

One woman interviewed as part of the study said: "My innocence was stolen from me years ago, so selling it then was no big deal. It was just another job."

The dangers of prostitution were also highlighted. Seventeen of the 22 women reported being attacked in the last year, while 12 reported being raped at least once. Twenty of the women said they had contemplated suicide, while 15 said they had attempted to take their own life at least once.

Twenty-one of the 22 women were addicted to heroin, and one reported being an alcoholic. The findings of the report were publicised at a conference on young people and crime organised by the DIT.

Another study on so-called joyriding in the Dublin area, by academics at the School of Applied Social Sciences and School of Sociology at UCD, explored the different attitudes of communities in the north Dublin area towards the practice. It found that for young people there was a significant social status attached to joyriding, or "flashing" as it is sometimes known.

It tended to take place in winter months, particularly around occasions such as Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. It was seen as a significant issue, but was not as important as issues such as drugs or alcohol abuse.

Figures suggest the rate of joyriding nationally has dropped by 19 per cent since 2003, while in communities in north Dublin it has dropped by 32 per cent over the last five years.

Research on the Garda’s restorative justice programmes – where offenders have the opportunity to acknowledge the impact of what they have done and make reparation, and victims have the opportunity to have their harm or loss acknowledged and amends made – was also discussed. Kieran O’Dwyer of the Garda Research Unit said an analysis of almost 150 cases showed there were high levels of satisfaction.

While it was difficult to measure if they resulted in reduced reoffending, international research indicated they have a "beneficial but modest" impact.