About The SERP Institute
The Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute is Ireland’s only independent research body dedicated to the study of commercial sexual exploitation. Our research influences academic discourse and creates useful knowledge for law and policy makers, practitioners, survivors and activists.
The SERP Institute is an internationally-recognised centre of excellence in generating new evidence and informing policy to combat the harms of all forms of commercial sexual exploitation in Ireland and beyond. Our evidence has been utilised by lawmakers in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the US.
The team has over thirty-five years of expertise combined in research, policy and advocacy work on these issues. Working on an all-island-of-Ireland basis, we monitor and investigate the nature and impact of the sex trade on victims, survivors and wider society, bridging the gap between research and frontline practice to disrupt the myths and expose the truth about the commercial sex trade.
Originally established in 2017 as a research programme (The Sexual Exploitation Research Programme – SERP) by Emeritus Associate Professor Ursula Barry in the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice at University College Dublin, SERP was subsequently led by Associate Professor Dr Marie Keenan. In 2023, with the aid of philanthropic support provided via Community Foundation Ireland, we became a fully-fledged independent research and policy institute.
The SERP Institute investigates, with integrity, the ways in which sexism, poverty, racism and individual vulnerabilities are exploited in the pursuit of profit. In doing so, the Institute’s work enhances the broader understanding of commercial sexual exploitation and the different manifestations of the sex trade in all its guises including:
- Prostitution
- Trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation
- The sexual exploitation of children and young people
- Pornography and other forms of sexual exploitation that take place online
- New and emerging forms of commercial sexual exploitation, occurring both on and offline.
The SERP Institute works collaboratively with support services for victims and survivors of sexual exploitation on the ground, seeking to generate new knowledge, insights and solutions on these issues. We additionally work in partnership with colleagues in a number of Irish and European universities, as well as maintaining strong links with wider international research and advocacy networks.
The SERP Institute is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Our work is underpinned by the principles of gender equality, social justice and human rights. The team is committed to rigorous, ethical, collaborative and participatory research practice. We are currently growing our team and establishing an independent Academic Council, which will ensure the ethical and methodological rigour of all our future research.
About the team
Ruth Breslin – Director of The SERP Institute
Ruth has over twenty-five years of research experience in both NGO and academic settings. She has an MSc in Social Research Methods (Social Policy) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. The focus of Ruth’s work has been efforts to tackle and prevent violence against women and girls, and she has developed particular expertise in research and policy development on the interrelated issues of prostitution and trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Ruth is regularly called upon to input into the development of evidence-based policy, legislation and practice in this regard, in both Ireland and internationally. Ruth joined SERP in 2018 and is lead or co-author of all of SERP’s studies. Ruth is now leading the development of The SERP Institute and the delivery of its strategic plan.
Dr Monica O’Connor – Senior Adviser to The SERP Institute
Monica is a recognised international expert on gender-based violence having worked for over thirty years as a practitioner, policy analyst and researcher. She was principal researcher on key projects that have investigated the nature and impacts of male violence. She is the author and co-author of numerous publications on violence against women including her sole authored book on the global commercial sex trade: The Sex Economy (Agenda 2019) . In 2010, she received a three-year Government of Ireland Scholarship from the Irish Research Council to undertake doctoral research examining the issues of choice, consent, agency and harm in the lives of prostituted and trafficked women. Monica has worked closely with non-governmental and statutory services in developing ethical guidelines surrounding the participation of service users in research. She was a Research Fellow at the WiSE Centre for Economic Justice, Glasgow Caledonian University (2017-2020) and is currently Senior Adviser to The SERP Institute.
About the Board
John Cunningham (Chair of the Board)
John Cunningham’s career has spanned almost 40 years in marketing, management, business development and executive management in organisations such as Irish Permanent, Friends First, Zurich Bank and Alexander Mann Solutions. John is currently Relationship Director with Morgan McKinley, an Irish Head Quartered global recruitment and talent solutions business. John is Chair and Country Director of the Lysis Group, an organisation that deals with regulated entities in the area of tackling financial crime. He has a long association with the arts in Ireland and founded the IMMA 1000 fundraising initiative. John is currently on the Board of IMMA and is Chair of the Collections & Acquisitions Committee. John was formerly Chair of the Immigrant Council of Ireland and of Gaisce, The President’s Award.
Professor Patricia Barker
Professor Patricia Barker is a retired Vice-President (Academic) at Dublin City University. She has served as a Director and Chair of Audit and Risk Committees on a number of companies, including Women’s Aid, Dublin Bus, the Marine Institute and the Pensions Authority. She is a volunteer counsellor with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and has worked in Human Rights in such theatres as Palestine, Bosnia, Kosovo and Kazakhstan. She is a Chartered Accountant and holds a PhD in Finance, an MPhil in Gender Studies and a post-graduate Diploma in Counselling.
Mia de Faoite
Mia de Faoite has over 10 years of experience working as a campaigner and policy advisor on the issue of commercial sexual exploitation in Ireland and abroad. Mia was a core member of the leadership team of the successful Turn Off the Red Light campaign which led to Ireland adopting end demand legislation in 2017. She was the Campaign Coordinator of the Beyond Exploitation campaign until moving to the role of Training Lead with Ruhama, which works on a national level with women affected by prostitution, sex trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation.
Lucy Maguire
Lucy Maguire is a qualified Mediator, having completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Conflict and Dispute Resolution. She recently graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an MPhil in International Peace Studies focusing on gender-based violence. In 2022, she joined the Board of Women’s Aid Ireland and, in 2023, was appointed to the Board of Ruhama. From 2005-2010, Lucy was appointed by the Irish Government to be Chair of Ireland’s First National Action Plan Against Racism. Until its sale to Bauer Media in 2021, she was Chair of the Communicorp Media Group from 2005. Previous Board directorships include Digicel Ltd, Independent News and Media, Topaz Energy Group, Ulster Bank Ltd, Special Olympic World Games (2003) and Advisory Board Tesco Ireland.
Tina Roche MBA
Tina Roche founded The Community Foundation for Ireland in 2000 along with sister organisation Business in the Community Ireland. Tina has an MBA from IMI/Fordham and has many years business experience, having worked in various roles as Financial Controller, Company Secretary and Head of Development. Her main interests are in community activism, preventing sexual exploitation, philanthropy, human rights, education, corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Tina has been recognised for her work, ranging from winning Tatler’s Public Life Award, being shortlisted for the Women Mean Business awards to being named in the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behaviour by Trust Across America™. Tina was a member of Amnesty International and sat on the Board of Amnesty Ireland for many years. She is on the advisory board to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders at present. She is also a board member and Chair of The Good Laugh Foundation (Comic Relief), and is Co-Founder and Director of Addressing the Unaddressed Ireland.