Plan to improve treatment of trafficking victims

A NEW initiative aimed at changing the “shameful” way Ireland treats victims of sex trafficking will be launched in Dublin tomorrow.

The EU-funded Dignity project is an initiative of the Dublin Employment Pact, which does a lot of work for disadvantaged communities and the Immigrant Council of Ireland. “Women should be treated as victims of horrific crimes, not illegal immigrants,” said Dr Jane Pillinger, a researcher with the council.

Dr Pillinger was one of the co-authors of a report commissioned by the council.

The council identified more than 100 women and girls who have been trafficked into or through Ireland for sexual exploitation in the past two years.

“The way the State treats this highly vulnerable group is shameful and it is probably because people in this country are in denial about the problem – that trafficking happens in other countries, not here,” she said.

“Instead of getting the supports they need, victims of sex trafficking are more likely to be put through the asylum process which is totally inappropriate,” she said.

ICI founder, Sr Stan Kennedy, said the report uncovered a heartbreaking and sickening litany of rape, abuse and exploitation for profit of migrant women.

It was often the case, however, that the State’s first response to the exploitation of these women was to look for breaches of immigration law, rather than address the urgent need to provide appropriate services and assistance.

“We must put the needs of these women at the heart of our response to tackling trafficking. We have not been doing that appropriately so far,” she said.

ICI chief executive, Denise Charlton, said they had every reason to believe that the research only revealed a fraction of the real number of victims of sex trafficking.

She said the council supported EU-level measures to strengthen protections for victims and measures to tackle their exploiters.

Ms Charlton said it was extremely difficult for victims in Ireland to access state protection.

“Appropriate protection and assistance for victims is absolutely critical. We are talking about women and girls who are being sexually exploited for profit and gratification on Irish soil and experiencing extreme trauma as a result,” she said.

“Central to our first response to the needs of trafficked women and girls and all migrant women involved in the sex industry must be caring for their health, providing safe accommodation and to independent legal advice and residency permits.”

Representatives of Sonas Housing, the Women’s Health Project in the Health Service Executive, the Anti-human Trafficking Unit within the Department of Justice, the gardaí, and the Immigrant Council of Ireland will be travelling throughout Europe to identify best practices for dealing with sex trafficking victims.