Few eyebrows have been raised by a new report which suggests that prostitution, involving females, males and juveniles, is a continuing and relatively high-level activity in Waterford city. But the estimate by the report's authors that at least 50 women, five men and up to 35 juveniles sell sex in Waterford focused attention on the scale of a hidden activity.
The topic drew a large audience of community and social workers to a conference on "Raising Awareness of Prostitution in Waterford", and a central concern that emerged was the lack of any specific health and support services for those involved in this local "sex industry".
Two academics working in practical sociology and psychology, Mr C. Niall McElwee of Waterford Institute of Technology and Dr Kevin Lalor of the Dublin Institute of Technology, wrote the report, which was commissioned by the Good Shepherd Sisters, Waterford.
They called for a fundamental reassessment of the need for support services targeted at the city's prostitutes.
Their analysis indicated that the problem had been neglected, partly because of the lack of accurate data up to now and partly because of the activity's covert nature.
Last weekend's conference may have generated an impetus for new initiatives. It heard succinct accounts by women working in voluntary counselling, health and support services for prostitutes in Dublin.
Sister Helena Farrell, of the Ruhama Women's Project, described the outreach work of that project, which attempts to respond to the needs of women working in prostitution, and to help them, when appropriate, to develop an alternative lifestyle.
Since 1989 the project has encountered about 700 women working the streets of Dublin and has analysed the varied socio-economic circumstances which have led them to this activity.
"They are young and old, single and married, healthy and ill, pregnant, mostly poor working-class unemployed women, some middle-class, widows, and women with addiction problems," said Sister Helena.
A new wave of prostitution driven by the revival of the hard drugs crisis was outlined. During the first six months of this year, about 70 per cent of the women encountered on the street by the project workers were in their late teens and early 20s, were new to prostitution and had entered it because of their drug-related problems.
The Ruhama workers were concerned about this growing young population of up to 200 prostitutes. Organisers of the Women's Health Project, set up in Dublin since 1991, also highlighted the need for preventive initiatives for prostitutes to reduce the risk of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases; problems which are growing since the political changes in Europe have facilitated an influx of prostitutes from the former east European countries.
The message for Waterford was that prostitution, and its associated health and social implications, should not be ignored.
"Prostitution is invisible in Waterford, but it is as vibrant and exists pro-rata with any other city," said Dr Lalor. He and his co-author noted the problem's potential for growth because of increased social exclusion and homelessness: it had been estimated that there were up to 17 homeless male juveniles in Waterford at the weekends.
The message was that there was an urgent need for further research and analysis of the health and social needs of those involved in prostitution at all levels. A society preoccupied with consumerism and economic prosperity could not afford to neglect its less fortunate members.
"There are some very depressed, disturbed and alienated people living in Waterford that clearly feel excluded and left to live on society's margins," said the report.