'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.

Among the 129 people who presented to the service so far this year — which included 11 men — were a number of trafficking victims.

Ms Noonan has been working with the charity Ruhama to connect as many trafficking victims as possible with SATU’s services.

Margo Noonan, advaned nurse practioner in the Sexual Assualt Forensic Eaamination and Treatment Unit at the Stouth Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital, Cork. File picture: Dan Linehan

She said many of the trafficking victims struggle to feel safe, even within the health services.

She said: “We have a lot of communities where everyone is known to each other. 

It means the person attending the SATU won’t even trust the translator in case they disclose to others the details of what happened to them.

Ms Noonan said the service strives to make the person feel as protected as possible.

“Usually in these cases we’ll have the translator on the phone so the service user can’t be identified. In other cases people have brought a friend with good English, who they trust.”

The 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report by the US State Department said 67 victims of human trafficking were identified in Ireland last year — up from 53 the previous year.

Ms Noonan is urging trafficking victims who have been sexually assaulted to come forward.

We’re appealing to anyone who needs our services to come to us. We don’t care about your PPS number. All we need is your age and first name. 

Ms Noonan said SATU sees a lot of victims who do not want to disclose what happened to them to gardaí. “In this instance, they can choose option three, where they are keeping their samples frozen until they are physically and emotionally better and in a position to report the sexual assault.”

Feargha Ní Bhroin, policy and communications manager with Ruhama, a charity working with people impacted by sexual exploitation, echoed Ms Noonan’s comments, saying that fear is a huge factor for those who were trafficked in coming forward after an assault.

“We have found that people in these situations are particularly fearful about coming forward because they are already hugely traumatised by repeated sexual assault and physical violence,” Ms Ní Bhroin said.

“This could be over months or years.

Many have a fear of police because they come from countries where there is a lot of police brutality. 

"They are concerned that they will not be treated fairly by authorities. 

"Many are not aware that victims of trafficking have certain rights and worry that they could be criminalised.”