Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 October 2022
563. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Justice the number of prosecutions for human trafficking for labour exploitation that have occurred since that offence first appeared on the statute books and the number of convictions that have occurred to date. [53222/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraHuman trafficking is an exploitive crime that preys on the vulnerable and I have been clear that there is no place for it in our society.
Significant progress was made in the past 12 months in relation to a number of initiatives, particularly in relation to the revised National Referral Mechanism (NRM), and the development of a new Action Plan on Human Trafficking, which I expect to publish shortly.
This recent progress has been acknowledged and reflected in the Trafficking in Persons 2022 report, published in June by the US State Department, which saw Ireland’s ranking upgraded from the Tier 2 watch-list.
Last month I published the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2022, which, among other things, will put the revised National Referral Mechanism on a statutory footing.
The Government’s intention is that every victim of trafficking is identified and helped so they can be supported. This is the right approach in and of itself, but it will also help the State 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.
While prosecutions are a matter for the Office of the DPP and An Garda Síochána, the State 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 in place since 2009 to conduct investigations into human trafficking.
In September last year, the first convictions in Ireland for human trafficking were handed down, with significant sentences in the Circuit Criminal Court. Other investigations are ongoing, with, we understand, cases expected to come to court before the end of this year.
