Gardaí try to locate house after teen girl claims to have been raped
The girl, from Burundi in Africa and either 15 and 16, was discovered walking the streets of Drogheda in the early hours of one morning last week. She was partially clothed and in a deeply distressed state.
While gardaí believe she was held captive for some days and was raped during that time, it’s unclear from initial interviews whether she was trafficked into the country and sold for sex.
The hunt is now on for a man believed to have assaulted the young girl during her captivity.
Gardaí accompanied the girl around Drogheda as they attempted to discover where she was held. As of yesterday evening, they had not yet successfully located either the house.
The teenage girl is currently in health board care following the ordeal.
Ruhama, an organisation that offers support to prostitutes and to those attempting to leave the life behind, has said its members have been in contact with nearly 100 young women believed to have been trafficked into the country for the purposes of prostitution.
The ages of some of them were difficult to gauge, though there is no clear evidence of widespread trafficking in younger girls.
However, there are concerns over the large number of non-national young people - many of whom arrive unaccompanied or with supposed “relatives” - who are missing, some from State accommodation.
In addition, the hidden nature of the trade - many of those brought into the country are kept in a state of near slavery in apartments, are regularly moved and are stripped of any papers - makes it difficult to get an accurate picture of what is happening.
“If they are not on the street, if they are underground, then there are concerns about the dangers they face because of the lack of visibility. There’s no point of contact,” a Ruhama spokesperson said.
Ruhama is calling for a dedicated vice squad to be set up and for the closure of lap dancing clubs, which it claims are fronts for prostitution rackets involving trafficked women.
According to the story the teenager told gardaí and health care workers, she was taken out of her native country, aged 12. She described how her father was murdered and her mother then committed suicide.
She said a woman “befriended” her but then sold her to a man. The teenager described how she passed through at least two airports but only arrived in Ireland last month.
According to one health worker, she has a vivid memory of driving along a motorway and over the distinctive Boyne Bridge.
She was held in the house for some days and repeatedly assaulted. The girl escaped after the man holding her captive fell asleep drunk.
