Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said she wants to see Irish escort sites shut down with one reporting a 250% increase in searches for Ukrainian women.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said he is “shocked” at the figure and said people were “exploiting” their trauma after fleeing the war.
They were both speaking at the launch of the third national strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence which has 144 actions and will cost €363 million.
Read More : Domestic abusers to face up to 10 years behind bars under State's new plan
The measures include tackling prostitution, educating young boys and men on consent, and Ms McEntee said she has asked the Garda Commissioner to examine whether there could be a domestic violence register which would name perpetrators.
Legislation will also see domestic abusers facing up to 10 years behind bars, instead of five.
She said it was for the Government to enact policies but it will take a society wide commitment to reach Zero Tolerance.
She said: “Earlier this year the country grieved with the family of Ashling Murphy, the beautiful and talented young woman taken from her family and friends too soon.
“The pain, especially for us women, was all the more acute for being so familiar.
“249 women killed over the past 25 years - Jastine Valdez, Jennifer Poole, Urantsetseg Tserendorj, Ana Kriegel, Fiona Pender and so many others.”
On pornography, she said it has “become more voilent and degrading” and “it has changed the way that younger people view sexual relationships.
“And it's something that we need to deal with.
“I would love to say that we would just block every single site and not allow people to access it but that’s simply not possible.”
Under the strategy, State actors will come together with data and information to examine how to educate, provide awareness and communicate it to students.
One of Ireland’s biggest escort websites has encouraged men to live out their “war-inspired” fantasies by paying for sex with Ukrainian women.
Following the outbreak of the war, the website has reported a 250% increase in searches for Ukrainian women.
Ms McEntee said banning websites that advertise the sale of sex was a “hugely challenging space”.
She said: “We have banned these types of websites. Unfortunately, where their server is or where they’re being run from moved to Ireland to the UK, it was then banned there and moved to Spain.
“We are exploring geo-blocking and other types of ways in which we could prevent these sites from operating. But it is obviously a very difficult space.”
She said said there are “thousands of men every week who are paying for sex”, often from women who have been trafficked and abused.
And that she would “love to see” such sites shut down.
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