Government to receive petition against sex trafficking today

A petition, signed by 165,000 people, against the sex trafficking of children and young people will be handed into the Government today.

The Body Shop Ireland, in association with the Children's Rights Alliance and ECPAT International, will deliver the petition to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald.

It calls for a number of actions to be taken including the implementation of the Government's National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Trafficking in Human Beings.

Petitions have also been launched in 50 countries around the world and the current signature total stands at 6.8 million.

Celebrity supporters across the world include Robert Pattison, Sienna Miller, Joanna Lumley, Yoko Ono and Nicole Kidman.