Government urged to fast-track guidelines for identification of human trafficking victims
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The Government is being urged to quickly develop guidelines for the introduction of a long-awaited system to identify victims of human trafficking.
Until the establishment of a new referral mechanism through the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking Bill) 2023, victims of human trafficking in Ireland can only be formally recognised by gardaí.
Following the establishment of the new mechanism, other State agencies and NGOs will be involved in the formal recognition of victims, with agencies in the sector expecting an increase in referrals as a result.
The legislation for the establishment of the new mechanism was passed last week.
However, a spokesman for the Department of Justice told the : “With respect to Part 3 (National Referral Mechanism for victims of human trafficking), preparatory work is required on operational aspects before these provisions can be commenced. This should be concluded before the end of the year.”
Last month, at the two-day Senior Leadership Summit on Collectively Combatting Human Trafficking Conference in Cork, gardaí said there had been one successful prosecution for human trafficking while two additional cases were currently before the courts.
However, PSNI chief constable John Boutcher, who was also attending the conference, said the PSNI received 501 referrals last year in relation to suspected cases of human trafficking and modern slavery through its national referral mechanism.
Two days prior to the conference, the Trafficking in Persons Report from the US State Department criticised the Government for not amending its national referral mechanism and said “systemic deficiencies in victim identification, referral, and assistance persisted” in Ireland.
The report highlighted there was especially a need to identify and protect “Irish citizens, victims of labour trafficking and forced criminality, and vulnerable populations like children, sea fishers, and asylum-seekers”.
The head of the anti trafficking unit at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Nusha Yonkova, said: “IHREC will be following closely how the assistance to victims and immigration permits will be provided in additional operational guidelines.
“We urge the guidelines to be developed very quickly in close cooperation with all NRM partners, including specialised NGOs.”
Meanwhile, researcher with the Sexual Exploitation Research Programme at UCD Ruth Breslin said: “It is very important to get this new mechanism right so that the many victims of trafficking in Ireland that we know are out there right now can be identified and receive the specialist, trauma-informed supports they so badly need.
"While this will take some time, it is nevertheless vital that the process of establishing a just and effective NRM is expedited as soon as possible because no victim of this terrible crime should be left in the hands of their exploiters or suffering alone and in fear.”
The chief executive of Ruhama Barbara Condon, said the organisation “would like to see it operational by the new year with the appropriate resources and monitoring in place”.