Europe's human rights watchdog has criticised the Government for failing to sign or ratify an international treaty tackling "modern day slavery".
Ireland is one of 13 member states of the Council of Europe that has so far failed to sign the body's Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.
Britain, Spain and Lithuania have also failed to sign the treaty, which seeks to prevent human trafficking by encouraging victims to turn in the criminals that enslave them.
"Every year hundreds of thousands of human beings, mostly women and young girls, are bought and sold in Europe," said Terry Davis, secretary general of the Council of Europe in a statement.
"The politically correct terminology for this outrage is trafficking in human beings, but the fact is that slavery is back in Europe, and that our governments are not doing enough to fight it," he added.
Just 33 of the 46 members in the Council of Europe have signed the convention, which was opened for signature one and half years ago. In addition, just three countries - Austria, Moldova and Romania - have ratified the treaty, which cannot enter into force until it is ratified by 10 countries, of which eight must be member states.
The convention introduces new methods of fighting international trafficking in human beings by treating people who have been trafficked as victims instead of illegal merchandise or associates in crime.
It promotes the prevention and repression of trafficking based on active participation of the victims, who are offered incentives to break free and help the authorities in prosecuting the traffickers.
These incentives include healthcare, food and shelter and protection and the right to stay in a state during the period that they co-operate with the police investigation into their cases.
Mr Davis said it was regrettable that 18 months after the convention had been opened for signature it had only been ratified by three states. "I call on all European countries which have not yet signed or ratified the convention, to do it as quickly as possible," he said.