Debate contribution: Adult Services Websites

Debate contribution by Mr Patsy McGlone on 27 January 2026.

MLA

Mr Patsy McGlone

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

27 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Adult Services Websites

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5345503

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The SDLP welcomes the debate and supports the motion. Sexual exploitation is a form of violence primarily against women. There is growing concern about websites that facilitate the organised commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking of women and girls and host advertisements for prostitution. I listened carefully as Mr Beattie gave his real-life experiences of what goes on to bring us to the situation where such websites operate. There appears to be no convincing reason why online advertisements for prostitution are not banned, as they are in some countries. However, the Assembly should be cautious about measures that merely hide organised commercial sexual exploitation from view while allowing it to continue. While enforcement is not mentioned in the motion, it is important to highlight it. Foremost in our concerns should be the safety and welfare of the victims of such organised activity. Those victims are often some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Research in the area is notoriously difficult, and the research that is available is often contested. However, it suggests that there is limited evidence of a reduction in trafficking as a result of simply banning advertisements for prostitution. When banned elsewhere, online advertisements have moved to encrypted platforms or to offshore sites. As, I am sure, the Members who tabled the motion are aware, there were two proposed amendments to the UK's Crime and Policing Bill that aimed to ban or criminalise websites and online platforms that host advertisements for prostitution. The British Government did not support the amendments: neither amendment was progressed, and there were no new or replacement amendments along those lines. They are not part of the Crime and Policing Bill, which is in its final parliamentary stages. As it is a reserved matter, the Justice Minister and the Executive are powerless to act on their own. In 2015, the Assembly passed the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act, which made it an offence to pay for sexual services. That was in line with the Nordic model. That approach aims to reduce demand for prostitution; improve the lives of those with experience of prostitution through support mechanisms; help those involved to exit; and change social attitudes. The three-year review of the impact of the 2015 Act reported that, in the period from June 2015 to December 2018, there were 15 arrests and just two convictions for purchasing sex, and 31 arrests but only two convictions for human trafficking for sexual exploitation. That review concluded that the legislation had minimal effect on the demand for sexual services, and it was unable to determine how it had impacted on human trafficking. In 2019-2020, 111 potential victims of trafficking in the North were referred to the national referral mechanism. That was double the number of referrals from the previous year. There has also been an upward trend in the official figures for human trafficking referrals since 2020, with 496 referrals here in 2024. However, between 2020 and 2024, there were just 11 prosecutions for offences under the 2015 Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act, and, of those 11 prosecutions, there were just seven convictions. Obviously, that suggests that what is needed is greater enforcement of our existing laws. We are not necessarily opposed to the banning of specific websites as part of a wider strategy to tackle organised commercial sexual exploitation and the human trafficking of women and girls, but the evidence suggests that the real benefits come from clear and enforceable objectives that prioritise the safety and well-being of those involved in prostitution, including providing exit routes, as well as sustained enforcement strategies aimed at detecting the men who pay for sex from the sites. That is where, we believe, the Minister should focus her attention.

620 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:22 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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