'Trafficking victims in Cork don't come forward for fear of court or deportation'

'All we need is your age and first name': Sexual assault treatment unit specialist encourages trafficking victims who may have been sexually assaulted to come forward

Among the 129 people who presented to the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital SATU this year — which included 11 men — were a number of trafficking victims. Picture: iStock 

Trafficking victims in Cork are delaying seeking treatment for violent sexual assaults due to a fear of being deported or potential criminal prosecution, according to the city’s sexual assault treatment unit (SATU).

Margo Noonan, a specialist nurse based at the unit in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, is appealing for more undocumented sexual assault survivors to come forward without fear of detection from authorities.