A woman has spoken of her horror after being chained to a bed and made have sex with men after a criminal gang forced her into prostitution.
'Mary' (not real name) will be speaking out about her harrowing ordeal on RTE's Crimecall in a bid to get people to think twice about paying for sex.
The poor woman was subject to disgusting abuse as the gang kept her chained up for a year before she managed to escape.
Gardai question 36 people across Leinster as part of huge crackdown aimed at people buying sex
She said: "“They took everything, our passports and our bags.
“I tried to fight so hard.I was chained and I had bruises, but they said it ‘doesn't matter’.
"You’re in your room and different men come in. They knock on your door, and you can’t say no.”
Sarah Benson is the CEO of Ruhama, a charity set up to work with women affected by prostitution, appealed to men to think about the consequences of their actions and the effects it can have on women.
She said: “To men who buy sex, I would say that this is not a benign act without consequence. It has fundamentally dehumanising effects for the most vulnerable members of our community. And since 2017 it has been a crime.”
'Clear message sent' after Meath man becomes first person to be convicted of paying for sex
She added: “Pimps and traffickers have no market if men are not buying sex.”
Since March 2017 it's been illegal to purchase sex in Ireland - and last January a Meath man became the first person to be convicted of the crime.
Last weekend gardai questioned 36 people as part of a huge crackdown across Leinster.
Files are now being prepared for the DPP.
Crimecall will air on RTE One on Monday 29th April at 9:35pm
