The CEO of Ruhama says the organisation supported 313 women last year, including 122 victims of trafficking.
Sarah Benson said the issue is a transnational one involving 29 countries and 40 different nationalities.
She called on the Government to do more to raise public awareness on the issue, adding that studies of sex buyers have suggested that the number one deterrent is a criminal sanction.
Ms Benson said an estimated 8% of Irish men purchase sex, which is lower than many other European countries such as Spain, where it is 30%.
However she warned this is fuelling a multi-million sex trade in Ireland that is run by criminal crime gangs.
"This is really about a public message that prostitution is inherently violent, it is incompatible with gender equality, it is a form of violence against women," she added.
She said the organisation's work has changed dramatically since its establishment 30 years ago, when it operated an outreach programme on the streets.
The vast majority of the sex trade now, Ms Benson added, operates indoors in a mobile fashion with advertising mechanisms online.
36 questioned in operation targeting purchase of sexual services
