Mary O'Rourke (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I did not realise I was quite so generous. Anyway, that is fine. I am delighted.

I commend Deputy Naughten on this motion. It is his brief at front bench and he has been extremely active in following up all of the matters relating to human trafficking. In the nature of a debate like this, we record what is good and what could be done to make it better. The Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 became operational, as the House will be aware, in June 2008. Ruhama, which is a voluntary group dealing in areas such as this, was mainly responsible for the gestation and the promulgation of that Bill, and made a valuable input to the legislation. In the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill, which has completed Committee Stage and is now awaiting Report Stage, the period of recovery and reflection of 45 days is to be increased to 60 days. The High Level Interdepartmental Group on Combat Trafficking of Human Beings is active at what it is doing. What I very much applaud is the level of training. There is a significant level of training for the gardaí in training in Templemore, and a wide range of training and awareness raising initiatives have been undertaken, and even more are planned.

The information seminar provided in February 2009 was attended by approximately 40 diplomats in the Department of Foreign Affairs being posted abroad to a variety of missions including Africa and Asia, and that will have been helpful for them. Like all good initiatives, however, these pieces of legislation, the training, the high level interdepartmental group within the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and, equally, all of the fine measures which have been undertaken, constantly need appraisal and reflection and, hopefully, changes.

These people are brought to this country under considerable blandishments and pictures painted of how better life will be for all of them once they reach this land. Of course they realise when they land that it is far from the pictures that were painted for them and it behoves us to act with all decency and with the best shelter and accommodation that we can provide.

In Athlone there is a large asylum seekers centre in which in the beginning there were over 400 separate accommodations. The numbers have wound down and I would say there are approximately 200 separate ones. I do not know if such an environment is quite the right place for reflection and renewal. There are fine people in it. I deal with them every Saturday in my clinic. They are getting on with their lives, as are their children, and making their applications to remain on humanitarian grounds. Life is busy for them. I do not know if it is quite the correct environment for women and girls who have been trafficked for prostitution in which to replenish and renew themselves. I rather think not. I hope that there will be a rethink on this particular aspect.

I welcome the improvements that have been made, the legislation which has been passed and remains to be passed, the high level interdepartmental group, the training which is being given, and that we will increase our period of reflection to 60 days, which is among the highest in the European countries. I signal how well European countries can work together in a positive way when all of these matters are being discussed between parties within Europe and hope they can tighten the net on those who seek to continue their dreadful life of trafficking people and, in particular, bring some solace to such women and girls who find themselves trafficked to a strange land where no one knows them and with no one talks to them. They must cope with a language they do not know, only the one to get out and earn money and bring it back because it is, as Deputy Costello stated, a big business. I hope that there will be further reflections on how people are to be treated during their period of renewal.

See this speech in context