Nearly 60 people have faced prosecution for paying for sex with a prostitute since it became illegal nearly four years ago.

According to Freedom of Information figures released to Newstalk, the alleged offences took place in eight different counties.

It has been illegal to buy sexual services from a prostitute since April 2017.

Since then, 59 people have faced prosecution for the offence, according to DPP figures.

There were none in 2017, seven in 2018, 29 in 2019 and 23 last year.

Some 63% per cent of the prosecutions were in Dublin.

There have also been cases in Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Louth, Meath, Wexford and Donegal.

"Regressive"

Kate McGrew from the Sex Workers Alliance says the law has had unintended consequences.

“We are not surprised that it has resulted in the policing of sex workers ourselves,” she said.

“What we have seen overwhelmingly is the dispersal of our work spaces, people going to the courts under the so-called brothel-keeping law, which prevents us from working with another worker out of the same space, people have been made homeless and people have been deported.

She said the new laws are “regressive.”

“If we are concerned about people in the sex industry, we need to recognise that arresting our clients pushes us deeper into poverty and deeper into desperation,” she said.

“Criminalising our income gives us fewer options and makes us rely on a black market.”

Prosecutions

Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward is calling for more prosecutions.

“They are probably lower than they should be,” he said.

“It is not the case that there have only been 59 offences of that type. We know this activity is going on.

“So, I would certainly like to see the number of people being brought to account for it to be higher and what is important is that we make sure Gardaí are properly resourced and encouraged to bring prosecutions.”

Of the 23 people who faced prosecution last year, 15 were in Dublin.