Department to launch action plan to help human trafficking victims

Figures provided by the Courts Service showed that since 2010, 198 people were before the courts in relation to sexual exploitation of children, trafficking of children for sexual exploitation, or attempts to do the same.

Victims of human trafficking will be able to come forward to a range of agencies under a new action plan being unveiled on Tuesday by the Department of Justice.

The establishment of a national referral mechanism, under the third National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, will mean that victims who may not trust police because of previous experiences in their home country, will now be able to come forward to agencies including the Department of Justice immigration services, the Department of Social Protection, Tusla and the Health Service Executive.