Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

——Members should be balanced about this issue. One also must be honest and acknowledge that children have been rescued from abusive situations, be they sexual or pertaining to employment. That is the reason for the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act, which prioritises child trafficking. It is the reason for the existence of an anti-human trafficking unit within the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. It is the reason the Garda has devoted so many resources to Operation Snow, which is an effort to both support children and to secure prosecutions in this regard. However, I also should point out that since the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act came into force last year, no prosecutions have been taken in this area. This does not mean there are no instances of such activity.

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