Government urged to fast-track guidelines for identification of human trafficking victims

The US State Department has criticised the Government for not amending its national referral mechanism and said 'systemic deficiencies in victim identification, referral, and assistance persisted' in Ireland. Picture: iStock

The Government is being urged to quickly develop guidelines for the introduction of a long-awaited system to identify victims of human trafficking.

Until the establishment of a new referral mechanism through the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking Bill) 2023, victims of human trafficking in Ireland can only be formally recognised by gardaí.