Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1616. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice her views on the recent report by an organisation (details supplied) which found that Ireland does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking; the measures that she is taking to improve this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41900/22]
View answerI assure the Deputy that my colleagues in Government and I are serious about preventing and prosecuting human trafficking. Human trafficking is a particularly heinous crime, based on deception and exploitation of vulnerable people. We are confident that the victim-centred policy approach we are taking will encourage more victims to come forward which will, in turn, strengthen prosecutions and convictions.
Last week I welcomed our ranking upgrade when the Trafficking in Persons report was published and was pleased to note that the report recognises, what it termed, 'significant efforts' made by Ireland to combat trafficking and support victims.
Significant developments in 2021 taken into account by the US State Department when assessing Ireland include:
- The first convictions, in September of last year, for human trafficking;
- Government approval for the creation of a revised National Referral Mechanism to make it easier for victims of trafficking to come forward, be identified and access support;
- The development of a new National Action Plan on Human Trafficking; and
- An increase in funding dedicated specifically to supporting victims of trafficking, and for public awareness and prevention efforts.
The work that is being carried out in my Department over the past 12 months in progressing the revised National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and the new Action Plan on Human Trafficking, which is nearing completion, will make a substantial difference to the identification and protection of human trafficking victims in Ireland. These reforms are reflected in key recommendations made in the TiPs Report.
The NRM provides a way for all agencies, both State and civil society, to co-operate, share information about potential victims, identify those victims and facilitate their access to advice, accommodation and support. The new approach acknowledges that other state bodies and NGOs have a role in identifying victims of human trafficking and referring them to the NRM.
We want to be sure that every victim of trafficking is identified and helped so we can support them. Doing this is of course the right approach but it will also help us gather more information and evidence in order to bring to justice the traffickers who prey on vulnerable people with no regard for the lives and safety of their victims.
In relation to the development of a new National Action Plan on human trafficking, the Deputy may be aware that my Department engaged with a working group to draft the new National Action Plan high-level goals and outcomes. The draft Action Plan has been prepared and I intend to engage in a further round of stakeholder consultations before the plan is finalised and submitted to Government for approval in Q3 2022.
In addition, Zero Tolerance; the Third National Strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence that I launched recently contains an action to identify linkages between the implementation plan accompanying that Strategy, and the National Action Plan on human trafficking, as well as ensuring actions to prevent prostitution and combat trafficking for sexual exploitation, are addressed in an integrated manner.
In addition to engaging with the TiPs process, Ireland continues to work actively with all our partners in multilateral international organisations who are active in tackling human trafficking. Such organisations include the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking (GRETA), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the UN and the European Union. These organisations periodically conduct country visits and make recommendation for areas of improvement.
Last week’s announcement by the US State Department that Ireland had been removed from the Tier 2 Watchlist in the latest TIPs report was positive but I can assure the Deputy that we are continuing to advance our work in this area. By delivering the actions outlined above and by working with all of our relevant partners in multilateral international organisations, we will continue to increase our effectiveness in the fight against human trafficking and will improve how we respond to the needs of victims.
I am confident that our commitment to this work will positively impact on our rating in future TIPs reports.
