Report: recommendations

* Provide support and develop a protective environment for women to allow them to disclose and identify traffickers/pimps.

* Provide support and develop a protective environment for women to allow them to disclose and identify traffickers/pimps.

* Develop ways out of prostitution, or "exit routes". Many see no alternative or way out.

* Make provisions for migrant women to regularise their legal status. Many, technically, are illegal immigrants.

* Provide a "recovery and reflection" time of 60 days in which women can decide whether they want to give evidence in a criminal investigation, without that time being dependent on their agreeing immediately to be involved in a prosecution.

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* Develop an "inter-agency" anti-trafficking strategy between the Department of Justice's anti-human trafficking unit, the Garda, the Health Service Executive, and non-governmental organisations.

* Criminalise the buying of sex and decriminalise the selling of sex. Trafficked women should be seen as victims of human rights abuses.

* Invest in campaigns - aimed at men - that challenge the view of women as a commodity.

* Specialist anti-trafficking officers should be appointed within the Garda to refer women in prostitution to appropriate services.

In their own words

Sophia fled from her village because she was being forced to marry a much older man.

She formed a relationship with a man she assumed was her boyfriend. It turned out his intention was to traffic her.

He brought her to Ireland using false papers.

She was held captive in a house, locked in a room and forced to have sex with men. She was beaten if she did not comply with his wishes.

- " Sophia"(24) from Zambia

"In the first agency, I worked for eight months.

"There were two girls in each apartment and you were available 24/7 to clients.

"Whether you were sleeping or cooking dinner, it did not matter - you had to answer the phone. The men were told they could do anything and if you refused they complained and you were fined €400.

"The second agency was cheaper and a different one. There were about 10 girls in the apartment.

"You worked from 7pm to 5am, mostly after 2am. It was quicker, more normal sex and the men were younger, but you could see up to 10 men a night.

"In one agency they were rich, older men. They wanted sex without condoms . . . everything that was not just normal sex.

"These men were crazy. One guy was a teacher. You had to dress up in a school uniform, no makeup, shave pubic hair, and he would spank you and you would hit him. It was awful.

"Men are constantly looking for sex without condoms, including anal sex, which I do not do . . . Men want more and more things . . . not just normal sex."

- " Anara" from Brazil

"Men want to believe you are enjoying it. You have to pretend they are fantastic."

- " Susan"

"This is not a normal life or job. If I did not have children, I would not have done this. I do not think about myself . . .

"My daughter is at school. I want to be sure my daughter will never have to do this.

"I so miss home but will keep working until all the loans will be paid off.

"My sister takes care of all the children and I support them all. No one knows what I do.

"I have tried to leave prostitution twice before.

"I went home and opened a snack bar, working all the time, but could not support my family.

"Now I know if I work until December I can pay off the mortgage and I can go home at last and never do this again."

- " Vanessa" from Brazil

"I am practically numbed because of this job . . . you don't feel very good about yourself.

"Some [ of the men] want you to do cocaine with them. I am completely wrecked for days afterwards."

- " Nadia"

"I thought a lot about this before I did it. I knew I was crossing a line and had to shut my emotions down to survive . . . I just have to shut down and do it."

- " Cali"

The extracts are from the stories of the women interviewed by the researchers