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Prostitution for women on drugs
By Alison O'Connor, Health Correspondent

An increasing number of young women with drug problems are turning to
prostitution, a conference in Dublin was told yesterday. Sister Helena
Farrell, who runs a programme to assist prostitutes in Dublin, said this
was of particular concern to those working in the area.

Sister Helena, who is project leader of the Ruhama Women's Project, said
during the first six months of 1997, about 70 per cent of the women whom
they came across were in their late teens and early 20s and were new to
prostitution.

"They are on the streets due to their drugrelated problems. We are
particularly concerned about this growing young population of up to 200
women who are out there. Many are feeding not only their own habit but in
many cases those of partners and pimps," she said. She was speaking at a
European conference on prostitution organised by the Eastern Health Board.
She stressed the urgency of ad dressing this "very serious problem" which
had led to the deaths of a number of women with whom they had worked.
"Intensive followup and rehabilitation services are needed to prevent
young women from returning to prostitution and drugs after a
drugsrehabilitation programme." She said there was a need to liase with
other agencies as a way of addressing more of these women's needs. The
conference, which ad dressed the issue of protecting the health of
prostitutes, also heard there was a danger of the spread of HIV with so
many intravenous drugusers turning to prostitution. Dr Paula McDonnell, an
EHB doctor, said they were trying to reach as many women as possible so
they would avail of the health services offered.

Ms Mary O'Neill, acting coordinator of the EHB's Women's Health Project,
at present. "It is bad enough that they get hassle from the punters but
they have to put up with it from the gardai as well. The current
legislation is pushing prostitution underground." called for an official
"red light" district in Dublin.

"If we had decriminalisation of the law and possibly a toleration zone as
they have in other European countries, it might be a solution where women
could work with safety, the negotiating time with clients would be better
and their health would be better looked after," said Ms O'Neill.

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