Call for resources to combat human trafficking

Firm deadlines and resources must be given in the Government’s action plan to combat human trafficking.

The call is being made by the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) as it publishes a submission to Government making 18 recommendations including sex buyer laws, better legal protections and compensation for victims, and the appointment of an independent national rapporteur.

It is also calling for non-discriminatory victim identification, ending the practice of placing victims in Direct Provision Centres and for procedures which will allow the criminal records of victims to be expunged.

The ICI said the recommendations are wide-ranging and reflect its experience as a frontline agency and independent law centre which has worked with 19 victims of trafficking in the past year. They also reflect concerns highlighted about Ireland’s response to this crime by the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the US State Department.

Commenting on the submission, ICI chief executive Brian Killoran said that the ICI was committed to ensuring Ireland had a plan for ending human trafficking and treating victims with respect and not as criminals.

“The decision to proceed with a National Action Plan honours a commitment given by Government three years ago and is an opportunity to ensure that the shortfalls in Irish laws, policies and procedures are corrected,” said Mr Killoran.

We are asking the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald to act without further delay to ensure Ireland is not perceived as a soft target by the organised gangs which run prostitution and sex trafficking.”

The ICI has previously stated that trafficking of human beings is the biggest crime across Europe. It is estimated that Ireland’s criminal gangs net up to €250m a year from the crime.

Figures for 2009-13 show 202 cases of human trafficking and 64 cases of being trafficked for forced labour. The majority were females (230), with 63 males, while 88 of the cases related to children.