'Fagin's Law' will not work if it relies on groomed children to testify, experts warn

Dublin City Council Joint Policing Committee heard recently about an eight-year-old child who is being used to collect drug debts.

The new law criminalising the recruitment of children by criminal gangs will not work if it is dependent on the testimony of groomed children, experts have said.

Workers in the fields of youth work and trafficking have raised concerns about the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023, also known as Fagin’s Law, goes through the Oireachtas.