Child trafficking a ‘modern slave trade’

THE Government has been accused of refusing to acknowledge a “modern slave trade” exists in this country, in the form of child trafficking.

The claim was made by the Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA), which is helping to step up pressure to influence change. Irish rights groups, it emerged yesterday, have joined a global campaign aimed at ending child trafficking, which they say can no longer be ignored.

The Children’s Rights Alliance and the Irish Refugee Council warned the Government needs to implement stricter anti-trafficking policies and legislation to prevent the problem from escalating.

Child trafficking has been identified as an issue here after official figures, dating back to 2000, show a total of 496 children placed in the care of the HSE have gone missing. The vast majority, 434, have not been traced.

The head of the Children’s Rights Alliance, Jillian van Turnhout, said in order to stop child trafficking, public awareness needs to be heightened.

“The Government must do more to guarantee children and young people their right to protection from traffickers,” she said.

“There is a reluctance to acknowledge that this very modern slave trade is happening here in Ireland. The evidence from child victims identified in Ireland cannot be ignored any longer. Child trafficking is not easy to spot and not easy to talk about, but if we are all aware of it, then we are in a better position to stop children falling through the cracks. We can, and must, stop child trafficking,” she said.

The CRA said it was, once again, calling on the State to acknowledge the existence of child trafficking in Ireland and to put in place measures to tackle it, including the provision of adequate care and accommodation for separated children, raising their level of care to the same standard as other children in HSE care.

Furthermore, the alliance said, there was an urgent need to provide legal protection, safe accommodation and therapeutic supports for child victims of trafficking.

Robin Hanan, of the Irish Refugee Council, said the campaign had come at a very important time.

“We are all becoming more aware of the scale and human impact of the international trade in human beings,” he said.

“Government, voluntary organisations and the HSE are increasingly co-operating to put in place plans, training and actions to fight trafficking at home and internationally.

“We are aware, in particular, of the vulnerability of separated children arriving in Ireland to trafficking and we welcome the recent government decision to end the use of separately run hostels for separated children seeking asylum and accommodate children in mainstream care, on a par with other children in the care system. The implementation of this decision will be vital to the protection of children.”