Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. I regard this situation, as many others do, as an emergency. It is shocking and it needs more urgency and actions, at speed. I believe the actions need to be sped up significantly. I know one immediate action that could be taken today and committed to is to deal with how these issues are classified by the Department of Justice. I know that was emphasised in my discussions with Dr. Canning and Ms Ruth Breslin. The scoping report clearly shows that the reclassification of data by the Department of Justice in 2017 has led to a significant reduction in offences recognised as trafficking of children for sexual exploitation, although the reasons offered for the reclassification were deemed vague and difficult to substantiate in a meaningful way by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The whole area of reclassification needs to be looked at. I want to end by saying that it would be to our eternal shame if we were to allow this scoping report and its findings to once more recede into the media and political shadows. The voices of these children, who desperately need our help, need to be heard above the noise. They are screaming for our help and we must not turn a deaf ear towards them. We must act.

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