1,000 signatures reached
To: The Comptroller and Auditor General and Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan
Investigate Ruhama's public funding
We would like to request a 'Value For Money Audit' into all public money given to Ruhama, an organisation founded by Magdalene Laundry nuns who still have not paid any of the redress they owe their victims.
Why is this important?
The Good Shepherd Sisters and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity who previously ran the Magdalene Laundries founded the charity Ruhama.
Ruhama say they work "with women affected by prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation."
Ruhama campaigned heavily for what they call the, "positive implementation of the Sexual Offences Act 2017". Since the Sexual Offences Act was introduced there has been a 92% increase in violent crimes against sex workers being reported to the sex worker safety organisation Ugly Mugs.
According to Ruhama's 2018 report their organisation had a budget of €768,656, 70% of which was provided by "State entities". Of this a minimum of €560,000 went on staffing costs. The report also states that Ruhama supported 313 women that year, 62 of whom were only visitors to their night bus.
So we the tax payers are funding an organisation that many sex workers themselves are highly critical of, that championed a law that we now know has harmed sex workers and they only supported 313 people in one year.
65% of the 313 were 'ongoing cases', meaning Ruhama only had contact with about 107 women who weren't already on their books from the previous year. 'Ongoing cases' may involve merely continuing to text or call people formerly supported by Ruhama.
That seems like very poor value for money and so we are calling on the The Comptroller and Auditor General and Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan to do a Value For Money Audit into Ruhama.