Trafficked women are forced to have sex in brothels 'in every town in Ireland'

Gardaí expect to find more victims and uncover new trafficking networks after operations in Cork and Limerick this month

As part of the Hidden in Plain Sight awareness campaign, Fianna Fáil senator Alison Comyn said: ‘Brothels are in every town in Ireland, and the women are not doing this by choice.’ Picture: iStock

Human trafficking is a “crisis hidden in plain sight” which must be more widely understood, a senator has warned.

Fianna Fáil senator Alison Comyn was speaking at the launch of the second year of a campaign in Leinster House, alongside Soroptimist International, to raise awareness of human trafficking across Ireland.

The Hidden in Plain Sight national awareness campaign aims to educate communities about the realities of human trafficking, improve understanding of exploitation, and encourage people to recognise and report suspected cases.

Just last week, nine brothels were inspected in Cork, and a further six were inspected in Limerick as part of an international operation targeting human trafficking.

Gardaí expect to locate victims of human trafficking and identify and intercept new human trafficking networks following the operation.

Last month, Ireland was involved in Operation Global Chain, an annual international anti-human trafficking operation with Europol and other international partners.

The operation generated new lines of inquiry, with gardaí receiving contact from potential victims of human trafficking in the weeks since it concluded.

Similar contacts made following previous operations have led to investigations into Brazilian human trafficking networks operating in Ireland.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Ms Comyn said that brothels making use of people-trafficking are “in every town in Ireland”.

“More and more people need to understand the impact of human trafficking and what it is.

Senator Alison Comyn said: 'When big events are on, [trafficked women] are bussed around the country and made to work having sex with men who are then going home to their wives.'

“Brothels are in every town in Ireland, and the women are not doing this by choice. When big events are on, they’re bussed around the country and made to work having sex with men who are then going home to their wives.

“In many cases, gardaí told us photographs are sent from their home country of family members, to ensure they don’t run from it. We know the stories here: Women come for a better life and have their passports taken from them.”

Signs to watch out for 

According to the Stop The Traffik campaign, some signs of trafficking are if a person:

• Has no access to personal legal documents or bank accounts; 
• Works unusually long hours; 
• Is living in unsafe or overcrowded housing;
• Is never alone and always accompanied by someone else; 
• Is under the watch of an adult who seems protective or controlling towards them; 
• Shows signs of physical or psychological abuse such as anxiety, bruising or untreated medical conditions; 
• Is fearful and distrustful of authorities, even though they need help; 
• Has little to no contact with family or loved ones.

According to the US Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Ireland “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so”.

The office, a branch of the US State Department, said the Garda Síochána Human Trafficking Investigation and Co-ordination Unit initiated 67 new investigations into 19 suspects in 2024 — 43 for sex trafficking, 15 for labour trafficking, and nine for unspecified forms of trafficking.

This was an increase compared with 53 investigations in 2023.

Ms Comyn added: “Too many young women are lured to Ireland with false promises of employment or a better life, only to find themselves trapped in exploitation and abuse.

“In many cases, women are forced into prostitution within days of arriving and subjected to horrific levels of coercion and control.”

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