Policy engagement

Key areas of impact

The SERP Institute team:

  • Provides regular evidence-based briefings to the members of the Dáil and Seanad on matters relating to commercial sexual exploitation
  • Advises non-governmental and civil society organisations across Ireland on issues relating to prostitution and trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation
  • Regularly submits oral and written evidence and expertise to parliamentary and public inquiries on the issue of commercial sexual exploitation, both in Ireland and internationally
  • Has provided evidence and in-person expertise to a variety of prestigious bodies including:
    • the European Parliament
    • the British Parliament in Westminster
    • the United Nations
    • the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The SERP Institute is also an active member of Ireland’s National Women’s Council (NWC), the Irish Observatory on Violence Against Women and Girls, the Health & Social Care Education & Human Trafficking Group and the Ukraine Civil Society Forum.

Influencing policy – some examples

National policy on GBV: Our extensive research on commercial sexual exploitation in Ireland helped to shape and inform the development of Ireland’s Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. For the first time in Ireland prostitution was formally recognised as a form of gender-based violence. As a result, Ireland’s National Strategy is the first of its kind in Europe to seek to address prostitution under all four pillars of the Istanbul Convention on violence against women – prevention, protection, prosecution and policy coordination.

The review of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017: The evidence we have gathered over the course of the last eight years on the operation of the commercial sex trade in Ireland and the application of the laws in this context have helped inform the review of the above Act, which aims to tackle the demand for prostitution and sex trafficking.

Safeguarding vulnerable children and young people: The stark findings from our study Protecting Against Predators on the organised sexual exploitation of children and young people in residential care garnered extensive media attention and lead Tusla to establish a review of all such cases happening under their watch.

The Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Based on her extensive experience in the field, Dr Monica O’ Connor was invited to provide expert evidence to the Citizens Assembly on Gender Based Violence and Gender Equality in March 2021.

Watch her expert evidence here and the subsequent Q&A session on her evidence with Assembly members here.

Working collaboratively

A key element of our success to date is the very solid working relationships, key alliances or strategic partnerships we have established and nurtured during this period, which have supported every aspect of our work.  These include but are not limited to: