a covid 19 commemorative album for

2020 

Directed by 

Produced by 

3 December 2020 

A Covid 19 Commemorative Album for: 

1  

4 March 2020 – WeDontBuyIt was launched  

2  

12 March 2020 

The unthinkable happened, Covid19 was declared a global pandemic. 

What follows is a record of how one project ‐ WeDontBuyIt ‐ in one 

organisation ‐ Ruhama ‐ faced that challenge. 

3  

12 March 2020 

13 March 2020 

4  

16 March 2020 

5  

6  

17 March 2020 

18 March 2020 

7  

19 March 2020 

8  

20 March 2020 

9  

21 March 2020 

24 March 2020 

10  

11  

25 March 2020 

12  

13  

26 March 

Excerpt: 

14  

27 March 

15  

31 March 

2 April 

16  

3 April 

7 April  

17  

8 April 

10 April 

18  

11 April 

14 April 

19  

15 April 

21 April 

20  

28 April 

29 April 

21  

30 April 

22  

1 May 

4 May 

23  

6 May 

7 May 

24  

8 May 

11 May 

12 May 

25  

12 May 

13 May 

26  

14 May 

15 May 

27  

18 May 

20 May 

28  

21 May 

29  

30  

22 May 

26 May  

 28 May 

31  

29 May 

32  

30 May 

33  

2 June  

3 June 

34  

5 June 

9 June 

12 June 

35  

23 June 

36  

26 June 

37  

6 July  

8 July 

38  

13 July 

39  

28 October 

40  

20 November 

41  

30 November 

(Mens Development Network are not known to have any front line contact 

with sex workers) 

43  

1 December 

44  

Transcript of radio ad: “The purchase of sex is illegal in Ireland, that means that if you are caught you will be 

arrested and you'll have to explain it to your wife and children. Maybe they'll believe you 

and think prostitution is just a job like any other, but I wouldn't count on it. The vast 

majority of men don't buy sex and don't buy the excuses of those who do.  

Prostitution, we don't buy it, go to wedontbuyit.eu to learn more.”  

Estimated Radio Ad Costs (from RTÉ) 

€280 Production costs 

Voiceover costs*: 

– €295 Voiceover cost per ad for RTÉ Radio 1 & RTÉ 2FM, – €360 Voiceover cost per ad for RTÉ Lyric fm. 

€30 fee for .wav file.  

Approxinate costs of Broadcast on Non‐RTÉ Stations (from RTÉ) 

€65 per station for National stations. 

€50 per station for Regional stations. 

€30 per station for Local stations.   

45  

3 December 

I would like to thank @wedontbuyit_Ire for all the desperately needed help 

and support they gave to Sex Workers, when Covid 19 ended the demand for 

sexual access and services overnight and suddenly left them without income 

or resources… 

…but I cannot find any.  

It seems that Ruhama’s “we don’t buy it” project cost the Irish 

people at least €68,500  

Footer: wedontbuyit.eu 

Dormant Account Fund Allocation 17 July 2018 

46  

Ruhama Accounts 2019 

47  

It seems unlikely that the statutory criteria for allocation of Dormant Account 

Funds were met by that allocation. 

Awareness levels & attitudes towards the purchase of sex in Ireland

Persuasion Republic

Job Reference: 401619Date: October 2019

Profile of Sample(Base: All Adults aged 18+; n=1,013)

AB‘s: 14%

C1‘s: 28%

Social Class

C2‘s: 21%

Conn/ Ulster

18%

Rest of Leinster

26%Munster

28%

Dublin

28%

Region

49%

51%

Gender Age

10%

19%

21%

18%

14%

18%

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+DEF‘s: 37%

The sample was quota controlled and final data weighted to the known profile of the population based on CSO 2016

Purchase of Sex

7

The attitude most respondents agree on is that the Gardaí need more resources to deal with the issue.

Attitudes Towards The Criminalisation Of Purchasing Sex - I(Base: All Adults 18+; n=1,013)

(Q.2)

Gardaí need more resources to increase the numbers of arrests and prosecutions for the purchase of sex

Legislation and the risk of a public prosecution will make no difference

to somebody who wants to purchase sex

Criminalising the purchase of sex is a good idea

Criminalising the purchase of sex helps limit the activities of criminal

gangs, pimps and sex buyers

5% 15% 12% 13%8%9% 13% 17%

24% 31%17% 24%

40% 22%35% 25%

16% 13% 14% 13%

Agree strongly

Agree slightly

Neither agree nor disagreeDisagree slightly

Disagree strongly

6% 9% 8% 7%1% 1% 2% 1%

64% 54% 53% 49%13% 24% 25% 30%

Don’t knowPrefer not to say

NET: AgreeNET: Disagree

8

Females and those aged 55+ are most likely to believe Gardaí need more resources to police the purchase of sex.

Attitudes Towards The Criminalisation Of Purchasing Sex - II(Base: All Adults 18+; n=1,013)

(Q.2)

64%

54%

53%

49%

Gardaí need more resources to increase the numbers of arrests and prosecutions for the

purchase of sex

Legislation and the risk of a public prosecution will make no difference to somebody who wants to purchase sex

Criminalising the purchase of sex is a good idea

Criminalising the purchase of sex helps limit the activities of criminal gangs, pimps and sex

buyers

Sex Age

Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+

55% 73% 53% 62% 76%

52% 55% 47% 59% 53%

45% 60% 49% 47% 62%

48% 51% 46% 46% 56%

Selling Sex

10

Respondents overwhelmingly agree that women are drawn into prostitution as a result of difficult circumstances. Despite this, slightly more people since 2015 are unsure why they enter prostitution.

Reasons For Entering Prostitution(Base: All Adults 18+; n=1,013)

(Q.3)

68%

12%

8%

2%

10%

They are drawn into prostitution by difficult circumstances such as

poverty or other vulnerabilities

They are forced into prostitution by a pimp or trafficker

They freely chose prostitution

Prefer not to answer

Don't know

Sex Age

Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+

64% 72% 63% 69% 72%

13% 10% 10% 10% 15%

12% 4% 11% 8% 5%

2% 3% 4% 2% 1%

10% 10% 11% 11% 8%

(2015)

(72%)

(14%)

(7%)

(n/a)

(7%)

11

Most respondents agree that women in prostitution often experience violence or abuse and almost half disagree that selling sex should be treated like any other job.

Attitudes Towards The Sell Of Sex - I(Base: All Adults 18+; n=1,013)

(Q.4)

Women who sell sex often experience some form of

violence or abuse from sex buyers

Women who sell sex often do so as a last resort with little

other option to support themselves

The people who benefit most from prostitution are criminal

gangsIt is not mutual consent if you

are paying for sexSelling sex should be treated

as a job like any other

2% 6% 6%16%

10%1%3% 2%

14% 38%

30% 35%23% 15% 19%

47% 37%47%

23%12%

8% 11% 11% 19% 11%

Agree strongly

Agree slightly

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree slightlyDisagree strongly

11% 8% 10% 11% 7%1% 1% 1% 2% 2%

77% 72% 70% 37% 31%3% 8% 8% 31% 48%

Don’t knowPrefer not to say

NET: AgreeNET: Disagree

12

Of those who feel that women in prostitution experience violence or abuse, the highest proportion are females and those aged 55+. This also holds true for those who feel that women do so as a last resort to support themselves.

Attitudes Towards The Sell Of Sex - II(Base: All Adults 18+; n=1,013)

(Q.4)

77%

72%

70%

37%

31%

Women who sell sex often experience some form of violence or

abuse from sex buyers

Women who sell sex often do so as a last resort with little other option to

support themselves

The people who benefit most from prostitution are criminal gangs

It is not mutual consent if you are paying for sex

Selling sex should be treated as a job like any other

Sex Age

Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+

73% 80% 72% 75% 83%

70% 73% 64% 73% 78%

70% 69% 52% 73% 81%

34% 40% 30% 34% 48%

41% 22% 38% 33% 24%

13

In comparison to 2015, the net agreement for most of the reasons of why people buy sex is down slightly. More people feel now that people either buy sex

because they are not in a sexual relationship, to have a laugh with friends, or are otherwise unsure of the reason why.

Reasons Why People Buy Sex (Multiple Answers)(Base: All Adults 18+; n=1,013)

(Q.5)

55%

49%

41%

38%

11%

13%

2%

To pay for sexual practices their partner is not willing to engage in

Because they are not in a sexual relationship

Because they see paying for sex just like paying for any other good or service

To feel that they can have control over a woman

To have a laugh with friends

Don't know

Prefer not to answer

Sex Age

Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+

53% 57% 48% 57% 57%

55% 43% 52% 53% 42%

41% 41% 40% 43% 39%

26% 50% 43% 38% 36%

9% 13% 13% 11% 9%

12% 15% 13% 12% 16%

1% 2% 4% 1% 1%

(2015)

(60%)

(47%)

(46%)

(43%)

(9%)

(9%)

n/a

14

The strongest attitude if one were to discover if their friend were to purchase sex is to dissuade them from doing so. This sentiment is stronger in females than in males. When it comes to doing nothing, this sentiment is driven mostly by males.

Attitude If A Friend Was To Purchase Sex(Base: All Adults 18+; n=1,013)

(Q.6)

40%

22%

5%

2%

9%

19%

4%

Seek to dissuade your friend from purchasing sex

Do nothing

Seek further information on the issue of prostitution from a relevant source

Joke among other friends about what you are witnessing

Not relevant

Don't know

Prefer not to say

Sex Age

Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+

30% 49% 44% 38% 38%

33% 10% 13% 26% 24%

5% 6% 10% 5% 2%

2% 1% 4% 1% 0%

10% 7% 7% 7% 12%

17% 22% 16% 20% 21%

3% 4% 6% 3% 3%

16

Respondents overwhelmingly responded that they have never purchased sex and will not do so in the future. While this percentage was high amongst all groups, this attitude is driven strongly by females and those aged 55+.

Incidence Of Having Purchased Sex(Base: All Adults 18+; n=1,013)

(Q.7)

86%

6%

3%

0%

2%

3%

I have never purchased sex nor will I in the future

I have never purchased sex but I have considered it

I have purchased sex but not regularly

I purchase sex regularly

I have been at a social event with friends where people have purchased sex

Prefer not to say

Sex Age

Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+

77% 94% 87% 82% 89%

10% 2% 5% 9% 2%

6% 0% 1% 3% 4%

- - - - -

3% 2% 3% 3% 1%

4% 2% 3% 3% 3%

(2015)

(87%)

(6%)

(4%)

(0%)

n/a

(3%)

Persuasion Republic: Key Take Outs

The majority of Irish people know that purchasing sex is a criminal offense. While this is known and the majority think it is a good idea, concerns exit regarding the resources available to police the new law11People believe that prostitution is a last resort option for women and that many women will experience violence as a result of this ‘choice’. 1 in 10 men consider that women freely choose prostitution & 41% of males think selling sex should be treated like any other job2Additionally, most agree that the main reason why people purchase sex is to pay for acts that their partner won’t engage in. If they were to find out that their friend was going to pay for sex, they would try and convince them not to, however 1 in 5 would do nothing.3