Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The shocking discovery of 39 bodies in a truck recently is testament to the need to look at what measures Ireland will implement to take the scourge of human trafficking more seriously. The treatment of human trafficking victims in Ireland falls well short of humanitarian protection and the measures described in the legal instruments of the UN, the EU and the Council of Europe. I expect the Minister will tell me that human rights are at the heart of Irish foreign policy and that the report, Global Ireland - Ireland's Foreign Policy for a Changing World, contains a commitment to combat and prevent human trafficking. This is not what I see on the ground. The failure to secure convictions since the law was amended in 2013 and the failure of authorities to initiate any prosecutions in 2018 demonstrates the chronic deficiencies in victim identification, referral and assistance. We need to wake up to this scourge and start making progress against an abhorrent crime that is happening under our noses.

Many of these people are being severely exploited, whether they are women in nail bars, men in the fishing industry, horticultural workers or, indeed, personnel in car washes. It is modern-day slavery and in many instances people's travel documents are taken from them, they are hoodwinked and they do not realise they are being trafficked. They are promised jobs and accommodation but work for a minimum, and after expenses and accommodation are deducted, they are left with practically nothing. Currently when a woman who has been trafficked or who has been involved in exploitation and has been subjected to rape, being beaten or being threatened bravely steps out of those shadows, the response is often to provide accommodation in direct provision. Trafficking should not be confused with immigration. It is a crime and these people are the victims. Direct provision centres are not a place of refuge or comfort for them. They need our rescue and care.

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