Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. There has been a significant rise in human trafficking in Ireland and across the European Union. I welcome the attempt to address this. I particularly welcome the directive's intention of protecting victims but I hope it will not only be an intention. We need to be very careful in how we address trafficking in human beings. It is absolutely essential that any updating of the rules within the proposal is focused on victims.

Human trafficking offences in Ireland have risen by 110% since 2019. While the numbers reported are relatively low, we know that the actual numbers are significantly higher because many victims remain undetected and the statistics only reflect victims who become known to the gardaí. It is also natural that many of the victims do not want to be known to the gardaí because if they are identified as being trafficked or as illegal immigrants, they are traditionally sent back to their country of origin when the offences have been dealt with. That is a problem. We need to find a way to protect victims so that they can expose the wrongdoing that has been going on in the country.

In 2021 the number of registered victims of trafficking in the EU was 7,155 but we have no idea of the actual number. I welcome the directive's proposal to ensure the EU-wide annual data collection on trafficking in human beings to be established by EUROSTAT. This still will not reflect the actual number affected but it will go a long way to ensuring that we have some sort of idea of the numbers who are affected, which will allow us to better and more effectively address the issues and trends in human trafficking.

The directive is well intentioned in the proposals to temporarily or permanently close the establishments where trafficking offences occur. An Garda Síochána has spoken recently about the clear relationship between international criminal gangs involved in the exploitation of migrants, and some landlords who are acting as facilitators. However, I would be cautious of any move that does not protect the victims first and foremost. I wonder whether taking away these spaces would have the unintended consequence of making the situation more unsafe for victims. This is something that should be considered and researched before we implement such changes.

As I have said, it is important that any changes are focused on victims. It is for this reason that I am cautious of this directive's intention to make it a criminal offence for people to knowingly use a service provided by victims of trafficking. Has there been any significant research on whether the introduction of such a criminal offence has worked in Ireland or is likely to work? Again, this is something I feel requires further research before changes are made at a European level. It is something that should definitely be reviewed and researched at a national level. There is no doubt about that.

I agree also with some of the points made by previous speakers. We must look at dealing with the causes of immigration, which are wrong too. This involves not using the likes of Libya and so on. Politics does not have a very good reputation in how it deals with asylum seekers and refugees who arrive at the shores. This is something we all have a responsibility for. We must make sure that it functions properly, in the way that it should, and that it treats people with respect. It does not matter who people are - they need to be treated with respect. We have heard stories about people who were returned back to sea and who actually drowned. It is just shocking. To think that this is being done in our name is even more shocking. It is something that we need to be very proactive on to make sure it is done properly and that people are respected.

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