Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

notes with alarm that:

— a minimum of 102 women and girls have been clearly identified in a recent report as sex trafficked in 2007 and 2008, 11 of whom were children when they arrived in Ireland and that none of these women knew they were destined for the Irish sex trade;

— up to 97% of the 1,000 women involved in indoor prostitution in Ireland at any given time are migrant women;

— victims of trafficking are identified by this Government as illegal immigrants first and consequently imprisoned and identified as victims second; and

— this Government offers no independent accommodation or support services to victims of trafficking;

considering that:

— several European countries have successfully tackled human trafficking and forced prostitution by the introduction of legislation criminalising the buying of sex; and

— the UK is introducing legislation to reduce prostitution and human trafficking which will directly impact on the Republic of Ireland;

calls on the Government to:

— end the policy of placing victims of human trafficking in asylum centres and introduce independent accommodation, support and protection services;

— extend the 'period of recovery and reflection' as defined in the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008 now before Dáil Éireann;

— move the focus on human trafficking from Garda National Immigration Bureau to the Garda Organised Crime Unit;

— extend the remit of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform's Anti-Human Trafficking Unit to include migrant women in prostitution; and

— establish a high level group to examine our prostitution laws with a view to preventing the proliferation of sex trafficking.

I wish to thank the Fine Gael Party for sponsoring this motion. With the agreement of the House, I want to share time with Deputies Simon Coveney and Paul Connaughton.

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