Ireland must step up fight against human trafficking, experts say

Ireland must step up its efforts to fight human trafficking, a group of experts at the Council of Europe has said, after a report expressing concern about the number of prosecutions and convictions relating to the issue.

The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (Greta) found the number of presumed trafficking victims in Ireland fell from 103 in 2017 to 44 in 2021.

“Sexual exploitation remains the primary form of exploitation, but the number of people trafficking for labour exploitation, in sectors including fishing, farming, construction, catering and domestic work, grew over the same period,” it said.

It said the figures did not reflect the “real scale” of the phenomenon in Ireland due to persisting limitations of the existing procedures for identifying victims. It added that trafficking for labour exploitation “remains under-recognised and under-reported”.

Greta’s evaluation report found there had been no convictions for trafficking for labour exploitation in the country “despite the increasing number of identified suspected cases”.

But it also found there had been a number of positive developments since its evaluation report in 2017, including the establishment of a forum bringing together relevant state departments, agencies and civil society organisations.

It has urged the Irish authorities to go further, asking the authorities to ensure alleged trafficking victims get lawyers to represent them in judicial and administrative proceedings. It also believes victims should not face punishment for unlawful activities they were “compelled to commit”.

Further awareness-raising and training were also needed to spot indicators of children being trafficked, Greta said.

In its response, also published on Wednesday, the Irish government told the experts that improvements were on the way including a national referral mechanism that would make it easier for victims to come forward and receive support.

“Ireland is determined to combat this insidious crime and to support those who are victims of fit. We have progressed significant measures to combat trafficking, to create a more victim-centred approach to identifying and supporting victims, to raise awareness and provide training,” said the department of justice.

It also told Greta it was working on a new national action plan with a final version to be published by the end of this year.

The publication of the report and Ireland’s response coincide with a meeting of Council of Europe justice ministers in Dublin this Thursday and Friday to discuss domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.