Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 January 2021
627. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to the US State Department's repeated criticism of the State's treatment of trafficking victims; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3738/21]
View answerCombatting the terrible crime of human trafficking is a priority for Ireland and we attach great importance to the work of multilateral international organisations who are active in tackling human trafficking, including the UN, Council of Europe, OSCE and the European Union and Ireland continues to work with all our partners in those forums to combat this heinous crime.
The Government is fully committed to addressing human trafficking in all forms, including through the provision of supports for victims of human trafficking and by educating the public to recognise the signs of trafficking. We have partnered with the UN IOM Office in Dublin on a campaign to raise awareness that victims of trafficking can be found anywhere and can be hidden in plain sight. My Department continues to engage with the US Embassy here on Human Trafficking issues and we are currently working on our contribution to the 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report.
Addressing human trafficking in a comprehensive way requires the engagement of various stakeholders and a number of key actions have recently been undertaken or are due to be completed soon, including -
- The designation of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) as Ireland’s independent National Rapporteur for Anti-Human Trafficking under article 19 of the EU Human Trafficking Directive;
- The commencement of a review of Part 4 of the Criminal Justice (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, which criminalised the purchase of sex as part of a wider approach to protection of persons trafficked into prostitution;
- Providing funding to NGOs for their work to provide support to victims of trafficking, and to develop targeted awareness training programmes;
- The engagement of an NGO to identify solutions to the provision of accommodation to victims of trafficking, particularly female victims of sexual exploitation. This was at an advanced stage but post the transfer of functions in October 2021, the follow up and implementation is now for Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth;
- The reaching of an agreement with another NGO to provide off-site support and counselling services for the victims to be accommodated in this new facility, which is now in place and will be funded by my Department.
- The establishment of a Human Trafficking Stakeholders Forum to consider the current policies, procedures and practices of State services and non-governmental organisations in supporting victims of human trafficking. The Forum will review the existing National Action Plan on Human Trafficking, including to respond to the commitment in the Programme for Government to adopt and implement a comprehensive strategy to combat trafficking of women and girls;
- Working with the Forum in a review of the National Referral Mechanism in Ireland, learning from best practice models in other EU Member States;
- Drafting legislation to strengthen the penal framework on people smuggling thereby giving effect to the Programme for Government commitment to enact legislation that encompasses relevant EU measures and enables Ireland to ratify the UN Protocol against the smuggling and trafficking of migrants. The Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2020 is on the Government priority list for publication by Easter of this year and my officials are working proactively with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to draft this Bill which is well advanced;
- The hosting of a joint multimedia campaign between the Department of Justice and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to raise public awareness about Human Trafficking. The awareness campaign has two primary objectives;
1. Raising public awareness around the existence of Human Trafficking in Ireland and educate people to recognise the signs of trafficking;
2. Raising awareness of victim supports. The campaign highlighted for victims that help is available and how to seek it - in the first instance by contacting An Garda Síochána but also by providing information on how to contact victim support services offered by the state, NGOs and international organisations.
The campaign website can be accessed at www.anyonetrafficked.com
The Second National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking was launched in 2016. The Action Plan involves a victim-centred and human rights based approach with the ultimate aims of preventing human trafficking, ensuring an effective criminal justice response and delivery of supports to victims. In line with the Programme for Government Commitment, work to review this strategy will commence early this year. Great importance is also attached to the work of multilateral international organisations who are active in tackling human trafficking, including the UN, Council of Europe, OSCE and the European Union and Ireland continues to work with all our partners in those forums. A copy of the Second National Action Plan along with an executive summary can be downloaded from http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/human_trafficking.
In addition, An Garda Síochána has committed significant resources to the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking in Ireland. A specialised Garda Unit, the Human Trafficking Investigation and Co-ordination Unit (HTICU), has been has been in place since 2009 to conduct investigations into human trafficking and provide advice, support and where necessary, operational assistance to investigations at district level. An Garda Síochána is also active in relation to trafficking gangs through work targeting organised crime - targeting their finances, their use of the internet and by working closely with other jurisdictions.
