Organised crime gangs are setting up foreign language schools to act as a front for prostitution, the Fine Gael spokesman on immigration and integration Denis Naughten claimed today.
Mr Naughton said bogus schools, established by organised crime groups, were assisting students in obtaining visa applications by providing the necessary documents.
“Yesterday, members of the Oireachtas were informed during a cross-party briefing that language schools in Dublin are breeding grounds for prostitution. We need urgent action to deal with the proliferation of sex trafficking into Ireland's €180m illegal sex industry,” he said.
The Immigrants Council of Ireland briefed the Oireachtas yesterday on findings from their recently published report, “Globalisation, Sex Trafficking and Prostitution – The Experiences of Migrant Women in Ireland”.
Mr Naughton said the issue of some schools being fronts for prostitution came up during the briefing.
However organisations representing language schools angrily refuted Mr Naughten's claims. Jim Ferguson of the Advisory Council for English Language Schools in Ireland told The Irish Timesthere was no evidence to back up Mr Naughton's claims.
“I’ve never heard anything like it. We have a rigorous inspection scheme, our inspectors visit schools on a regular basis. The Department of Justice has access to all our inspections. We have no evidence of this,” he said.
David O’Grady of the MEI, an association representing 68 English language schools around the country, called on Mr Naughton to name the schools in question.
“It’s utterly ridiculous. I don’t know of any school doing this. Mr Naughton doesn’t name any particular school. If he has information he should release it.”
He accused Mr Naughton of trying to place the industry in a bad light.
Mr Naughton said he did not know which schools were involved.
He said the Government’s failure to regulate the industry would allow the situation to continue.
“The Tánaiste confirmed to me today that the Government will not be putting forward legislation to regulate this area. Organised criminals can therefore continue to operate as they have been doing and force vulnerable students into prostitution," he said.