Vulnerable Ukrainian child groomed and trafficked into Ireland

The man with the girl was arrested and interviewed by the gardaí but was later released without charge and his whereabouts are unknown

Tusla tried to ring the girl’s family using numbers in the child’s phone, but was unsuccessful. It was understood her mother and grandmother were in two different EU countries.

A teenage girl from Ukraine has had to be taken into emergency care amid fears she had been trafficked here after being groomed in her home country.

The case of the girl, who authorities believe may have an intellectual disability, comes amid heightened concerns of Ukrainian children being trafficked into Ireland as the war there continues. Tusla has admitted it is under pressure due to the number of unaccompanied minors arriving here.