Birth certs vital to safeguard children

YOUR recent two-part Special Investigation by Conor Ryan (August 31 and Sept 1) exposed the stark reality of sex trafficking in Ireland and the abuse and distress, which its victims unfortunately must endure.

The efforts shown by gardaí are commendable.

However, the figures reported are just the tip of the iceberg. Nowadays, human trafficking is said to be one of the fastest growing and most lucrative criminal industries in the world. In 2005, the US government estimated that the annual profit generated by the trafficking trade amounted to $9.5bn, while the International Labour Organisation in 2009 stated that at least 12.3m people are victims of human trafficking, 54% of these being children. According to your report, those trafficked into Ireland mainly come from Eastern Europe and the west coast of Africa. Plan Ireland is working in west Africa with the most vulnerable children, including those at risk of being trafficked. More than 580,000 children under five go unregistered, greatly increasing children’s vulnerability to being trafficked and exploited.