Failures to curb human trafficking criticised

THE US State Department has criticised the Government for not doing enough to tackle the problem of human trafficking.

Ireland is under fire in a new US report which shows exploiters have targeted this country, leaving young immigrants particularly at risk.

The report, Trafficking in Persons Report 2006, commented: “Ireland has become a transit and destination country for a significant number of trafficking victims from Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.”

Released last week by the US Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, the report continued: “Ireland’s recent influx of immigrants suggests a vulnerable population among refugees, asylum-seekers, and economic migrants susceptible to force, fraud, and coercion by exploiters in Ireland.”

The 2006 report, for the first time, makes reference to Ireland. The US agency, publishing a report for a sixth year, has been pushing for international efforts to fight the problem.

The American Ambassador, James C Kenny has met with Irish representatives from Amnesty International and Ruhama — a group that helps women working in prostitution — to discuss the report.

The report, overseen by the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was critical of the Government for not clearly defining trafficking in the law. The Government’s legislative failure, the report suggests, has complicated efforts to count and verify the extent of the problem here.

However, the report indicated measures are being taken to tackle the problem with existing laws. “Since August 2005, police conducted a number of raids of brothels in Ireland; the Government reportedly is preparing cases for prosecution. As a result, in September 2005, authorities conducted a series of raids based on allegations of trafficking in exotic dance clubs, though interviews of suspected victims did not produce evidence of trafficking. In February 2006, police launched an investigation and raided a farm suspected of managing a series of brothels via a call centre operation, though again, no evidence of trafficking was found,” the report stated.

Last week, it emerged that 250 immigrant children disappeared from state care in the past five years, and the report states that these people could be particularly at risk. “Unaccompanied minors from various source countries, particularly in Africa, represent a vulnerable group in Ireland that is susceptible to trafficking and exploitation.”

It said: “Due to a lack of dedicated anti-trafficking protections and services, potential victims, especially unaccompanied children, were at risk for being trafficked.”

Geraldine Rowley from Ruhama said: “We welcome the fact that we are mentioned in the report because it gives recognition to the fact that Ireland has this trafficking problem.”

The Department of Justice has confirmed that laws to protect immigrant women from sex trafficking and violence will be published in the next six months.

In response to a request from the Council of Europe to support its campaign against trafficking of and violence against women, the Government said the Immigration and Residence Bill will contain policies in both these areas.

The Bill was due to be published at the end of last year, but a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said it will be published by the end of 2006.