Mr. Brian Killoran:

Regarding victims of trafficking, it is not entirely the case that no supports are available. Through the national referral mechanism for identifying victims and what happens to them thereafter, there is a model whereby access to health and support services can be activated. What we see in reality, however, is that there are huge inconsistencies in how that is done. Sometimes it does happen as it should and I do not wish to disparage any of the services in this regard, especially those connected to the HSE. However, because the identification process is so complex, with some cases taking up to two years before a person is identified as having been trafficked, we see inconsistencies and a breakdown in the process. One of the significant difficulties relates to the level of training provided to staff and managers in direct provision centres and RIA centres on the specific needs of these very vulnerable individuals. Staff and managers often have no idea of the particular circumstances of the person they are dealing with and, therefore, he or she may fall through the cracks in the system rather than having his or her particular needs met. The model is there to be applied but our finding is that it gets undermined by the identification process and the inconsistencies arising out of it.

Victims of trafficking are a particularly vulnerable category of persons and there is also a gendered aspect to the issues they face. For example, being housed in mixed-sex hostels in a room with up to four people may compound the trauma they have experienced. It is important to acknowledge that there are many key civil servants in the Department of Justice and Equality who recognise this problem.

It is not the case that there is a blanket denial of this from the Department or, indeed, from some of the politicians involved either. We are in this repetitive institutional context, however, where we are stuck with the approach we have. There is a recognition that we need to provide this ameliorated level of care. We are obligated to do so by the directives into which we have opted, by some of the pressure we are under from international instruments and, not least, from the experiences of the victims of trafficking who are in the system. Progress is being made but it is incredibly and grindingly slow, unfortunately.