Experts urge Ireland to do more to tackle human trafficking

A group of experts at the Council of Europe said Ireland should step up its efforts to fight human trafficking 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 that the number of presumed traffickers in Ireland fell from 103 in 2017 to 44 in 2021.

It said that sexual exploitation remains the primary form of exploitation, but there are more people trafficking for labour exploitation in sectors including fishing, farming, construction, catering and domestic work over the same period.

It said that the figures did not reflect the real scale of the phenomenon in Ireland due to the 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 no convictions for trafficking for labour exploitation in the country despite the increasing number of identified suspected cases. It also found that there had been a number of positive developments since its 2017 evaluation, including the creation 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 that alleged traffickers get lawyers to represent them in judicial and administrative proceedings. Greta believes that victims should not be subject to punishment for illegal activities and that they were compelled to commit. Awareness-raising and training were also needed to spot indicators of children being trafficked, Greta said.

In its response to the Irish government's response 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. The department of justice said that significant measures to combat trafficking were taken, to create a more victim-centred approach to identifying and supporting victims, to raise awareness and provide training.

The final version of the national action plan is expected to be published by the end of the year, according to Greta.

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