Human trafficking prosecution 'just tip of the iceberg', says McEntee

PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris at a Conference on Senior Leadership Summit on Collectively Combating Human Trafficking that was held at UCC's Centre for Executive Education. Picture: David Creedon

Legislation aimed at enabling more victims of human trafficking to come forward will be enacted within days, as the Minister for Justice admits the one prosecution for the crime in Ireland is just the tip of the iceberg.

Minister Helen McEntee was speaking in Cork at the two-day Senior Leadership Summit on Collectively Combatting Human Trafficking Conference, where human trafficking was described as a “heinous crime”.

According to gardaí, there has been one successful prosecution for human trafficking while two additional cases are currently before the courts. 

However, PSNI chief constable John Boutcher, who was also attending the conference, said that the PSNI received 501 referrals last year in relation to suspected cases of human trafficking and modern slavery.

Until the establishment of a new referral mechanism through the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking Bill) 2023, which will be enacted next Wednesday, victims of human trafficking in Ireland can only be formally recognized by gardaí. Following the establishment of the new mechanism, other State agencies and NGOs will be involved in the formal recognition of victims, with agencies in the sector expecting an increase in referrals as a result.

Ms McEntee said on Wednesday: “We need to do more. We do know that for many people who are trafficked, they come from countries where perhaps their experience or engagement with police forces was not positive and so they don’t come forward, they don’t have trust in An Garda Síochána. This national referral mechanism will ensure that other trusted partners are there for victims to come forward.” 

I expect from next Wednesday that this legislation will be enacted and importantly, we can start to put in place the structures that are needed here. This is a very important component in our fight against human trafficking. 

She said education and awareness raising in sectors including industries and sectors where human trafficking is known to occur through sexual and criminal exploitation, agriculture, hospitality, and airline and shipping industries.

“Victims are being hidden here in Ireland in plain sight and we need to understand and recognise that.” 

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that investigating sexual exploitation has been a “particular focus” for gardaí.

But he added: “We also are very aware of the dangers of enforced labour but also enforced criminality. Enforced criminality comes from growhouses which we are all well aware of but also begging rings which can also lead to the imposition of quotas, daily quotas, and the violence then if quotas aren’t met, coupled with the forced disfigurement of individuals. It is a really heinous crime.

"We do see a lot of begging in Ireland and there has to be an awareness that that could be linked to organised crime group engaged in effect in exploiting people through begging.”

The conference follows the publication on Monday of the US State Department’s Trafficking in People report in which Ireland was criticised for systemic deficiencies in victim identification, referral, and assistance.