73% rise in sex exploitation and forced labour cases here

A rise in human trafficking from Romania and Nigeria drove a 73% increase in sex exploitation and forced labour cases in Ireland last year, according to a US Government report.

The US State Department report also strongly criticised the Irish Government for prosecuting people who they had failed to identify as suspected victims of forced criminal activity.

The report shows that the number of suspected human trafficking victims jumped from 46 in 2014 to 78 in 2015 — and that 22 of these were children.