An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-21 ============================================================ Sharon Keogan (IND), Industrial and Commercial Panel I rise to speak on the issue that is being raised today in Stormont. I refer to the website commonly known as Escort Ireland. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 criminalises the purchase of sex in this jurisdiction. Yet, this platform exists for one clear purpose; to advertise sexual services to be bought here in direct defiance of that law. It is not a marginal operation. It is a large, highly profitable enterprise, reportedly charging weekly fees for advertisements while hosting hundreds of listings aimed squarely at Ireland. Public reporting has identified individuals linked to this operation who have past criminal convictions for pimping. Company records show the business was relocated from London to Spain, where it now trades through a Spanish registered company reporting multimillion euro revenues. This is organised, transnational activity, not casual online behaviour. These concerns are now underlined by serious, independent research. The Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy, SERP, Institute, which has called on our Minister for justice to take action, reports stark findings. Hundreds of women are advertised daily across the island of Ireland on these platforms, with over 900 on a single site. The majority are young migrant women, many of whom have limited English. In a four-week analysis of online profiles, the SERP Institute identified 19 of 28 internationally recognised indicators of trafficking and sexualised exploitation. Women presented as independent escorts are, in reality, often controlled by organised crime groups that dominate the sex trade. These websites provide anonymity for buyers, pimps and traffickers while generating millions in profit. If the law cannot reach those who openly organise, advertise or profit from the breach of our laws then we must ask ourselves who exactly is the law for. I call for a debate to allow the House to discuss these issues, particularly as the continued existence of the website in question is nothing short of a mockery of our laws. I also want to address the online abuse received by my colleague Senator Eileen Flynn. While I disagree with a number of Senator Flynn's opinions, I restrict my criticisms to the opinions and not the woman herself. Comments on Senator Flynn's background as a member of the Traveller community, the way she dresses and the way she speaks are racist, deplorable and, worst of all, intellectually bankrupt. She is the most voted female Senator in the Chamber and she has as much right to be here as any of us. I commend her, and I hope she does not take any of that rubbish to heart. I am a believer in free speech and debate, but such abusive comments hurt our national discourse and, most of all, let down those who utter them. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-21/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:50+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-04-21