Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I thank the witnesses for appearing before us and giving us their very informative presentations. They will be very helpful to us when we are drafting our report. I have a couple of questions for each group.

I will begin with the representative Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, MRCI. Senator Kelleher touched on this question. Have the witnesses drilled down into specifics of what specialised services would be needed to address the type of trauma that victims of human trafficking experience? I noticed the phrase "THB victims". Could the witness explain that term to me? Moreover, does the MRCI have evidence that some people who have been trafficked into Ireland are in prison, perhaps for crimes that they were forced to commit? If so, do they have any access in prison to the type of services that the MRCI would recommend for them specifically as trafficked people?

Does the MRCI have any experience of the appropriate treatment for women and girls people who have experienced female genital mutilation, FGM? Is that coming up as an issue? I know that several women who have migrated here have been affected. I am not sure if I should use the word "victim". Certainly, I would see them as victims, but the culture from which they come does not see it that way. Is a specific type of treatment required in those cases? Is there a pipeline to which they can go if they happen to be in a direct provision centre? Are there avenues for them to access the type of help they need?

I also have questions for the representatives of BeLonG To. They mentioned a communications plan their organisation has in mind, intended to raise awareness among parents of the resources that are available to them. What do the witnesses have in mind? How would they reach this audience? I find that as a politician, there are lots of things about which I want to tell people. Sometimes I wonder why people are not aware, because I keep trying to reach them in so many different ways but I cannot seem to hit the target of getting the information out as much as I want. What are the witnesses' plans in that regard?

I thank Dylan for his presentation. It is wonderful that he has such confidence. I am not sure that at 16 years of age I had the confidence to speak in front of a crowd of politicians. I have read his report. It is a marvellous survey in which he goes into tremendous detail. It will be enormously helpful to anybody grappling with policy to have something like that available. It is a great resource. Did Dylan find any resistance when he produced his survey? I notice that he got quite a lot of support from his school and from BeLonG To, but did he find any resistance anywhere else? I ask more out of curiosity than anything else.

I also thank Pavee Point's representatives for their submission. They mentioned being invisible. Were they referring to the fact that Travellers are not categorised separately in the national figures? Do the witnesses think that would be helpful? I refer also to the political question. I am trying to get my head around what is meant there. Do the witnesses mean that the political system is not supportive of what they are trying to achieve?