Human trafficking horrors: We must be more vigilant
The shocking discovery of 39 bodies in a lorry in Essex, in the south-east of England, is a salutary reminder of the dangers of all forms of human trafficking and recalls a similar tragedy in 2000 when the bodies of 58 young Chinese people were found in a container at Dover.
Seven men were jailed by a Dutch court for their role in the human-smuggling operation that led to the young people suffocating. We have not been visited with such horrors in Ireland but this latest incident should serve as a wake-up call to the Irish authorities to increase our vigilance at ports.
