‘Significant gaps’ remain in protection of human trafficking victims in Ireland

Advocates for victims of human trafficking have called for action to tackle “significant gaps” in both the protection and care of victims in Ireland following the release of the US State Department’s 2023 Trafficking in Persons report.

In response to the report, activists have called for “immediate action” regarding gender-specific accommodation for victims of human trafficking in Ireland, while also highlighting the continued “inappropriate” housing of those in Direct Provision.

The report lists Ireland in Tier Two of its classification, the same position it took up last year. According to Ruhama, an NGO that works with women affected by prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation, Ireland finds itself in Tier Two because “we do not fully meet minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring ourselves into compliance with those standard.”

Ruhama has called for further progression that will see Ireland progress into Tier One.

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The organisation’s chief executive, Barbara Condon, said that “major gaps” still exist in procedures to identify victims of trafficking and that the protection of victims remained unchanged in 2022.

Ms Condon also called for further progression in “gender-specific accommodation for victims of human trafficking.” The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission echoed those calls, saying that “immediate action regarding the delivery of gender-specific accommodation for victims” is required.

“The delayed delivery of a specialised shelter for victims of trafficking is particularly concerning in light of all the evidence pointing to the gender-specific nature of trafficking to Ireland,” said the Commission in a statement.

According to the Commission, the most encountered form of exploitation in Ireland from 2013-2022 was sexual exploitation, followed by trafficking for labour purposes and then trafficking for criminal activities. 95 per cent of victims of sexual exploitation are women and girls, while 69 per cent of labour trafficking victims are men.

In response to the US State Department’s report, Ruhama say they saw a 60 per cent increase in engagement with victims of sex trafficking in Ireland in 2022. A total of 147 victims contacted the charity, 45 of whom were new referrals. According to Ruhama, the Irish sex trade is worth €180 million per year.

In 2022, the Human Rights Commission says it saw five reported cases of trafficking of child victims. No children were reported in either 2020 or 2021. Children represent between eight and nine per cent of all victims in Ireland, which is less than the EU average of 25 per cent.

Chief Commissioner Sinéad Gibney highlighted the “positive developments in the State’s effort to fight exploitation and support victims of human trafficking,” but insisted that “the inability to provide appropriate accommodation support to victims” remains an issue.

“The statistics show us that trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation is highly gendered and highly racialised and it is vital that these most vulnerable victims feel safe and protected when placed in accommodation,” said Ms Gibney.