Residency permits urged for victims of trafficking

THE Government is being urged to grant temporary residency permits to women who have been trafficked into Ireland.

Fine Gael MEP Simon Coveney said new immigration and anti-trafficking legislation proposed by Justice Minister Michael McDowell should provide for victims to stay here while their cases are investigated.

Mr Coveney presented a report on human trafficking to the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday. He said European governments should not lose sight of the fact that people who are trafficked are victims.