A Stormont inquiry has found that websites advertising sexual services in Northern Ireland are being used by criminal gangs to traffic and exploit women, and it has recommended that the operators of such sites be criminalised.
The All-Party Group on Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation examined four publicly available platforms: Locanto, Adult Works, Viva Street and Escort Ireland. In a report due to be released on Tuesday, it found the sites allowed gangs to manage multiple profiles and present exploited women as "independent escorts", concealing abuse. It said 95% of women and girls trafficked to the island of Ireland had been brought for sexual exploitation.
One survivor, identified as Victim A, was forced into prostitution at 19 and advertised online. "They provide the infrastructure through which sexual exploitation can be organised, marketed and monetised," she said. Another survivor said a man controlled the profiles of several women trafficked from Brazil. "None of us had access to the emails from buyers. They came directly through him, he answered as if he was us."
The BBC reported that it had spent months reviewing the sites and found, on average, more than 500 women advertising sexual services in Northern Ireland on any given day. Many were moved frequently between cities: one woman advertised in Belfast for 24 hours appeared in Dublin the next day, and in six different locations over the following week.
Ruth Breslin, director of the Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute, backed a ban. "We know that women who have been exploited and trafficked are being advertised on these sites," she said. "Banning these sites is the right way to go. Regulation just won't be strong enough in this space."
The report dismissed the possibility of regulating the platforms safely, arguing that criminal networks would "continue to exploit regulated environments unless the digital infrastructure itself is dismantled". It recommends criminalising website operators, improving cross-border cooperation with the Republic of Ireland, and targeted interventions for men.
Escort Ireland, which says it has operated for 30 years and is the largest such site on the island, carries a disclaimer that "the charges are for time and companionship only" and that anything that occurs "is a matter of coincidence and choice between consenting adults". The BBC contacted the site for comment; it did not respond.
Paying for sex has been a criminal offence in Northern Ireland since June 2015, though selling sexual services, loitering and soliciting remain legal. Running a brothel or controlling prostitution for profit is also a crime. Official figures cited by the inquiry record 134 arrests for paying for sex since the law took effect, 105 referrals to prosecutors and five convictions.
Connie Egan, deputy chair of the all-party group, said the report must not be "read, noted and shelved". Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Neill, who heads the Police Service of Northern Ireland's organised crime branch, said the focus was on safeguarding victims and gathering evidence against organised crime groups. "Our huge challenge is that sexual exploitation is often an unseen crime," she said. "It can happen in plain sight."