No prosecutions on human traffic law

THERE have been no prosecutions for human trafficking into Ireland since laws to combat the illegal trade were brought in more than four months ago.

Garda commissioner Fachtna Murphy said his officers were investigating a small number of non-Irish gangs believed to be involved in people smuggling.

But despite more than 100 arrests of suspected people traffickers since 2000, no one has been convicted with the offences as laid down by the laws last June.

“Since June 7... we haven’t had any cases that have reached the courts atthis stage,” the commissioner said.

“But we are investigating a number of cases. We are looking at a small number of gangs at the moment and it would be unwise of me to give details of that.”

Mr Murphy, speaking at a trafficking awareness campaign launch, said officers were trying to gather evidence to send files to the public prosecutor.

Geraldine Rowley, of Ruhama, which helps victims of sex trafficking and prostitution, claimed there was a need for more proactive policing.

“The responsibility can’t be left to the people who are the victims, to rescue themselves,” she said.

“The gardaí are now equipped with the legislation and training. They need to take further steps to set up a special Garda unit and fully resource it.”

Ruhama has offered services to 15 victims this year.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern insisted gardaí and other organisations in the fight against what he branded modern slavery, needed help from the public.

“I think perhaps people don’t readily appreciate that it may well be happening in this country, given the fact that large numbers of foreign people have come to the country in recent times,” he said.

“This is an invisible crime, it’s insidious and what we need is the co-operation of everybody to identify it.”

Mr Ahern and Mr Murphy launched the Blue Blindfold campaign yesterday to encourage the public to report trafficking.

The campaign will include newspaper and website advertisements, public posters as well as a hotline number and email address to report activity.

“We are catching up on the experiences of other countries because this is a relatively new phenomenon to our shores,” said Mr Ahern.

Marion Walsh of the Department of Justice’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, accepted information was lacking on the issue.

“It’s very difficult to quantify this issue because of the underground nature of the business,” she said.

The laws brought in last June make the trafficking of adults and children for labour or sexual exploitation illegal.