Ireland may be giving “inadequate penalties” to human trafficking perpetrators, the US State Department has said.
The newly-released annual Trafficking in Persons Report noted that Ireland is a “tier two” country on the human trafficking watchlist, and “the Government of Ireland does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking”. This was also Ireland’s ranking last year.
A new report by the US State Department claims that Ireland did not convict any human traffickers for “at least seven years” in a row, despite identifying more than 500 trafficking victims during the same period.#gripthttps://t.co/mDZu7y1x4r
— gript (@griptmedia) June 16, 2023
According to the report, the State failed to convict any traffickers for the crime of trafficking last year.
“The government did not convict any traffickers for trafficking, and instead relied on non-trafficking statutes that may have, at times, resulted in inadequate penalties and has never convicted a trafficker for labour trafficking under its anti-trafficking law,” it reads.
“Systemic deficiencies in victim identification, referral, and assistance persisted; the government did not amend its NRM [national referral mechanism] and, consequently, did not identify any Irish nationals as victims.
“The government did not overhaul its framework for providing accommodations to trafficking victims, which continues to leave victims with inadequate and unsuitable accommodations. The government did not report providing trafficking-specific training to any judges and has never awarded restitution or compensation to any victims.”
As a matter of priority, the report urged Ireland to improve victim identification, and to specifically identify “Irish citizens, victims of labour trafficking and forced criminality, and vulnerable populations like children, sea fishers, and asylum-seekers.”
However, despite these shortfalls, the report did add that the Irish State “is making significant efforts” to rectify the situation. Specifically, it pointed to a variety of positive measures that had been implemented, such as special accommodation for female trafficking victims which was introduced last year, general awareness raised about the issue’s prevelance, and increased funding to support victims of the practice.
The report comes as Justice Minister Helen McEntee is expected to discuss the issue of human trafficking this week.
Earlier this month, Gardaí, in collaboration with global law enforcement partners, participated in “Operation Global Chain”, focusing on detecting and disrupting organised crime groups involved in human trafficking. The operation specifically targeted child trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced criminality, and forced begging. Several premises across Dublin, Clare, and Limerick were inspected, and numerous potential victims were interviewed.
Earlier this year, Gardaí told Gript that human trafficking instances are “very difficult cases to prosecute”.
“We work closely with our colleagues in Europe and in America to improve that situation,” Garda Detective Superintendent Derek McGuire said, adding that “organised crime groups” are “exploiting these vulnerable people”.
Asked if border control played a big role in human trafficking, McGuire replied that border control and human trafficking are “very fluid.”
“It can start as a meaningful relationship and then end up in sexual exploitation or labour exploitation, so it’s very nuanced,” he said.
“They’re very vulnerable people that we’re working with, so something might start with nothing and end up as a victim of human trafficking here in Ireland or abroad. So it’s very transnational and it’s certainly a worldwide problem.
“The money that’s been made by organised crime groups is nearly equivalent to drug trafficking groups – it’s in the billions and it’s a huge global problem that we have to tackle.”