Five children among suspected victims of trafficking to Ireland

Sinéad Gibney, chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

Five children were among the suspected victims of trafficking in Ireland last year, brought here mainly for sexual exploitation, a new report has found.

The report, by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, recommends a national campaign to raise awareness of specific trafficking risks for women and children fleeing the war in Ukraine.

A suspected trafficking for organ removal was recorded for the first time last year, and two cases were recorded linked to cannabis grow houses.

Writing in the Irish Examiner on Wednesday, commissioner Sinéad Gibney said: “Human trafficking is a uniquely brutal crime, requiring a specific state response.

“It happens all around us, in our big cities, and our small towns, with victims often in plain sight. 

"Agriculture, hospitality and fishing industries, domestic work and nail, hair and beauty salons are high-risk work settings for labour exploitation.” 

The report collates data for 2013 to 2022, showing some 513 people — including 39 children — were victims of trafficking in Ireland in that time. 

Some 55% were linked to sexual exploitation, then labour exploitation (38%), or trafficking for criminal activities (6%). 

The report, Trafficking in Human Beings in Ireland, says the crime is highly gendered in Ireland with 67% of victims being women. 

“Over the years, there has been only one case of a transgender victim recorded. 

"The gender dimension is particularly evident in trafficking for sexual exploitation, where over 96% of the victims are women," it states. 

In Ireland children represent 8% of victims, significantly less than the EU average of 23% the commission stated.

No child victims were identified in 2020 or 2021, however, “in 2022, five child victims were identified as suspected victims of trafficking. The majority of these were trafficked for sexual exploitation”. 

Most people trafficked in Ireland come from African countries, with Asian and European countries also common, the report shows. 

Trafficking of Irish nationals was identified in "a few" cases. 

The report highlights concerns linked to the war in Ukraine, noting an estimated 90% of displaced Ukrainians in Europe are women and children.

The commission, which is Ireland’s national rapporteur on human trafficking, recommended increased funding for civil groups working with refugees. 

It also highlighted the need for an “overall increase of long-term, stable and safe accommodation”.

It called for “greater monitoring of the pornography, sex, and ‘escort’ websites, where Ukrainian women have traditionally been objectified”. 

The report warned that, despite increased operations and investigations, there were no successful trafficking convictions last year.

The commission was critical of the numbers of specialist frontline staff including for Tusla and An Garda Síochána. 

It also highlighted significant challenges facing all agencies involved in tracking technology-related crimes.