Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak today on the Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill. In previous years, any island nation such as ours, was seen as a smuggler's opportunity, but at that time the concern was primarily about illegal narcotics and goods and that has rightly, if somewhat slowly, shifted to also focus on people and the illegal trafficking of human beings.

It is beyond obvious that appropriate resources must accompany this legislation and that those who engage with people who have been trafficked are trained to a standard that does not inadvertently increase or compound trauma. The Garda National Immigration Bureau needs additional resources and training that is regularly updated in line with best practice, as does the International Protection Office, INIS social workers and the specialist gardaí who investigate these cases. We must ensure that both those who have been trafficked and those working on such cases are equipped and supported throughout the duration of any subsequent process. As recently as September, it was reported that specialist detectives were investigating a "growing number of illegal immigrants who are being forced to work in the sex industry in Ireland". A major crackdown on human trafficking resulted in the rescue of 38 people in the previous year.

My constituency of Longford-Westmeath has been mentioned here this afternoon. It was the location of the first conviction under the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008, following a six-week trial in which two people were found guilty of human trafficking offences. The judge in the case referred to the individuals who had been trafficked as "indentured slaves", who were coerced into a sustained and degrading period of prostitution, which did great harm to all victims for financial gain. The judge acknowledged also that the individuals had no real alternative but to accept their exploitation. Those words resonate with me. Nobody should accept exploitation. It was a truly tragic and disturbing case. I take this opportunity to commend the survivors on their bravery, courage and resilience following what can be only described as horrific exploitation. I also acknowledge the valuable work of all involved in securing the conviction.

We urgently need to get our house in order regarding our obligations to end human trafficking, but we must also improve the related legal, criminal and support processes. While our response must be robust, it must also be fit for purpose and it must be one that reflects the extremely unpalatable reality that human trafficking happens, and it happens here, as we saw in Westmeath. We may have had the first conviction, but it was not the first incident. Convictions like this must become much more common.

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