'EVERY WOMAN IS IN DANGER BECAUSE OF JUNKIES'

Maria has been working as a prostitute in the south Dublin red-light area
for 18 years. She spoke to Catherine Cleary

"Every woman out there is in danger because of these junkies working the
streets. A girl got her face kicked in recently in Fitzwilliam Square. A lot
of women are frightened.

"We've said there will be murder yet between the junkies. They sit around on
the canal intimidating other women. You've got a young woman feeding an
addiction - her addiction and her boyfriend's and sometimes his friend. The
guards just search them and let them off.

"We're used to coming down and doing our own thing. But young ones will come
with their fellas. They couldn't come into our patch on their own. Benburb
Street used to be the place for junkies, but because Collins Barracks is a
museum the guards have started moving them on.

"There's an awful lot of uneasiness about. The number of junkies in the last
six years has multiplied. When I started 17 or 18 years ago there were only
four or five on the streets. And every one knew who they were.

"Now there are more of them than straight women. And they don't care where
they go or what they do. It's impossible for them to see any further than
their nose when they're looking for a fix.

"Some women carry blades, knives or a snooker ball in a sock. But they can
be used on you because by the time you get to your bag you can be done. And
if you carry anything you can be done for carrying an offensive weapon by
the guards. A lot of women are being arrested for prostitution. Some are on
their second or third fine.

"Because the World Cup is on it's very quiet. Every man is in the pub or at
home watching matches. So we might come out and only do one client and then
go home. But the junkies have to get money, whatever's going on.

"As soon as I heard on the radio about the murder in that area I knew she
must have been a prostitute. I didn't know her. But I might have known her
to see. The majority of women who work that end are the younger ones. It's
very dark, it's isolated and there's not a lot of people around.

"If we report attacks to the guards you're more or less told that you
shouldn't be down there in the first place. After this they'll be swarming
round the place for weeks. But they should have been listening to the women
when they told them what was going on.

"I'll be going out tonight. I'll be worried, but there's no choice. There'll
be three or four of us out and we'll see what happens."

Checked-by: "Rolf Ernst"