Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on this very important Bill. I support it, as everyone who is elected here should. Deputies have spoken about people who died in terrible conditions in containers, including one case a couple of years ago. Other speakers mentioned the heat and lack of water, but people died because there was no air. That kind of death was totally inhuman. We must ensure that anyone involved in that kind of carry-on comes before the courts in this country and is dealt with seriously. It is the worst type of crime to do that to human beings.

Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights and a global problem that affects people from various regions who are trying to reach a better world. People, including those seeking better opportunities, cannot be blamed for that. Traffickers prey on the dreams and vulnerabilities of migrants, promising them a brighter future but subjecting them to unimaginable exploitation.

One alarming aspect of human trafficking in Ireland is the practice of confiscating identification documentation from victims before they even land in the country. That tactic is part of a broader strategy to keep victims trapped and under the control of traffickers. Traffickers often confiscate identification documents for several reasons.

We have been told that new data for 2019-20 revealed that child victims represented 23% of all registered victims in the EU. However, in Ireland only nine children were identified as victims during the same period, accounting for less than half of the total number of victims. This discrepancy between the EU and Irish averages is striking and suggests potential issues with identifying child trafficking victims in Ireland. The Bill is important to prevent the exploitation of women for sexual reasons, prostitution or whatever. We must endeavour to ensure that women, men and children are treated humanely and the traffickers who are involved in desperate moneymaking operations are deterred from that by dealing with them properly in our country. We need to ensure that the might of the law is brought upon them and that they pay for severely for their practices.

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