The 16 gardai who are employed across the State to combat human trafficking is “not enough,” the Seanad heard today, amid calls for the Department of Justice to be “better resourced” to deal with the problem.
It comes just months after a European report said there were “serious questions” to be answered regarding the trafficking of children in Ireland, claiming that the State was failing in its duty to protect unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Senator Sharon Keogan made the comments, during a Seanad debate on the second stage of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2023 on Thursday.
“I bring to the Minister of State’s attention that there are only 16 gardaí employed in combating human trafficking in the country at this time. That is simply not enough and the Department needs to be better resourced.
“That number needs to be doubled or quadrupled. To have just 16 gardaí dealing with human trafficking is not enough, and it is certainly not enough considering our record on the issue,” the Independent senator said.
Senator Keogan said she welcomed the Bill, which proposes a number of reforms which she said would benefit An Garda Síochána in its work of policing human trafficking and exploitation.
“Making the national referral mechanism for victims of human trafficking a statutory provision will be of huge benefit in bringing those who perpetrate these crimes to justice,” the Senator said, adding that such a mechanism allows for co-operation between State organisations, departments and civic society groups.
She referred to a 2023 trafficking in persons report, which said Ireland was failing to meet the minimum standards in victim identification, referral and assistance.
The US Department of State report, published last June – which ranks governments worldwide on their perceived efforts to acknowledge and tackle human trafficking – ranked Ireland at tier 2 for the second year running.
The report claimed that the Irish government “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.” It said that minimum standards had not been met in several key areas, pointing out that the government here did not convict any traffickers in 2023, and has never convicted a trafficker for labour trafficking under its law.
It heard how “chronic and systemic deficiencies in victim identification, referral, and assistance persisted”; and services for victims “remained inadequate.”
“A study showed that 88% of trafficking victims engaged with the healthcare system during their time of being trafficked, but fewer than 1% were identified. We must train all healthcare workers in identifying trafficking,” Senator Keogan told the House.
The Meath politician also said that if Ireland was “serious as a nation” about the issue of trafficking, it must ensure that all healthcare providers are trained and supported to identify trafficking victims.
“While the HSE is listed as a competent authority in the Bill, the Department of Health is not, which will limit the scope of engagement with non-public healthcare workers,” she said.
“Annette Kennedy and Anne-Marie Ryan of the health and social care education traffic group came to Leinster House recently to highlight vital issues regarding identifying trafficking. They noted that dentists, physiotherapists and even social workers do not typically receive training in identifying trafficking.
“If the Department of Health is listed as a competent authority, the Dental Council, CORU and many other regulatory bodies should have it within their remit to train their members on identifying trafficking because trafficked people use a broad spectrum of health services. Including this training in the codes of professional conduct of these bodies will directly impact the educational institutions for these medical professionals and equip all medical staff, public and private, trained and qualified, in how to identify trafficking,” Senator Keogan added.
She also said it would be critical to implement licences for those who work with civic society groups which assist human trafficking victims or those coming to Ireland seeking international protection to ensure oversight and regulation of services.
“Many people operate in this space as consultants without any specific certification or credentials. It is vital for the success of the initiative to regulate this space appropriately.
“The criminal underground operations that thrive within our system are not merely undermining its integrity but also likely perpetrating heinous crimes, particularly in trafficking vulnerable individuals, especially women and children, into prostitution.”
The senator said that while organ trafficking is as yet unquantifiable, there had been one such case last year, adding: “It is a growing international problem, especially in countries such as Afghanistan, which has a high number of international refugees worldwide.”
“This is why the special licensing of international protection professionals is necessary. By demanding licences for professionals working in the international protection and refugee system, we can establish a robust framework that holds individuals and organisations accountable for their actions. Licences will help to ensure that only qualified and ethical individuals are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting and advocating for refugees and asylum seekers.”
The senator also referred to her concerns about Ukrainian children who were brought to county Mayo by a charity, claiming that the charity in question did not notify Tusla about the arrival of the children, “many of whom flew without a parent or guardian.”
“Under the law as it stands, notification to Tusla might be sufficient to comply with the current laws but is that really enough? When it comes to people crossing borders, especially children, we need to ensure the highest standard of protection for all involved.
“The national referral mechanism should perhaps include children by default as a way of ensuring children fleeing war get the particular support they need and that they are tracked in a system should there be any risk they have been trafficked.”