Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My final question is for Mr. Killoran. It relates to human trafficking. Mr. Killoran mentioned that it could take up to two years to find or identify the woman involved. That seems a long time. I have seen many documentaries lately dealing with trafficking. It is frightening, especially for a father of three children, two of whom are girls. The last thing we want is for our children to be kidnapped, taken to strange countries and so on. Have the numbers been rising in recent years? The Garda has been getting enforcement going in recent months. People are being arrested now whereas previously nothing was happening. There is enforcement by the Garda. Can the Immigrant Council of Ireland provide figures for the past 12 months, 18 months or two years? What is the success rate? The first thing a woman taken from a foreign country would want is to get back to her parents. Will Mr. Killoran outline what is happening? Is the Immigrant Council of Ireland working closely with the Department? Is the council getting much response from the Garda? I am not being smart but to me it is the next thing to rape. At issue is a woman being forced to have sex against her will by these pimps, or whatever we call them. Many people seem to get away scot-free. The more we highlight this, the more people will realise it that this is happening in our back garden. I want to see it stopped.