Gardaí develop system to record sex‑for‑rent complaints

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan announced that An Garda Síochána are creating a structured mechanism to record complaints, disclosures and incidents involving sex‑for‑rent arrangements in Ireland.

The minister said the Gardaí have informed him that work is currently under way to provide this system, which will enable the collection of data on such cases.

The Irish Examiner subsequently spoke with several women who reported being offered accommodation at reduced or no rent on the condition that they provide sex or share a bed with the landlord. All but one of the women were foreign nationals who had moved to Ireland for study or work.

An Italian woman described the difficulty of finding rental housing in Dublin as “like falling into a dangerous hell”. A Mexican student said she posted a request for a room on social media and received two responses from men asking what she could offer in exchange, with one explicitly proposing sexual relations and sending obscene images.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Selim Karadayı / Pexels.