Human trafficking to Ireland for labour and sexual exploitation on the rise, report finds

There is also talk of a worker who earned only €1 an hour and a child who was threatened while staying in an adult shelter.

The Trafficking in Human Beings in Ireland report outlines a significant increase in the number of victims identified over the past three years, including children. Most are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

A total of 53 people were identified as victims of human trafficking last year, an increase of 20% compared to 2022. The number of victims is likely to be significantly underestimated. Most came from Africa, Europe and Asia.

In the report, an African national named Ada (39) told how she was offered a new life to work in Ireland “after an accident and the loss of her fiancé in Africa”. She was held against her will and subjected to sexual exploitation for a year.

“She was horrifically abused and raped by men, including hooded men,” the report by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said.

After escaping her traffickers in 2018, Ada slept on the streets, was offered money by a stranger, and took a bus to Dublin, where she found work as an au pair. She eventually lost her job and became homeless again.

While seeking medical treatment in a hospital, she became aware of the concept of human trafficking. She was helped by the organisation Ruhama and reported the incident to the gardaí.

Her formal statement appointment was cancelled due to a garda emergency. She is still waiting. An Garda Síochána has been contacted for comment.

“Ada has spent five years in Ireland without any support, security or safety since she escaped the traffickers,” the report said.

Four girls and one boy were identified as child victims of human trafficking in Ireland last year. Three of the girls were suspected of being trafficked for criminal activities, one girl was trafficked for sexual exploitation and one boy for labour exploitation.

The report raises serious concerns about children in state care who are missing or placed in adult centres. There is also concern about the exploitation of surrogacy, described as “one of the most worrying new and emerging forms of human trafficking”.

It was stated that the increase in child trafficking for criminal activities appears to be a new trend.

A boy said he had a hard time in an adult shelter because “everyone is bigger than me” and he had no friends

The report also said that a child placed in an adult shelter slept on the streets for 12 nights before receiving medical attention.

One girl said she found it difficult to look after herself in adult female accommodation and did not feel safe. It said: “She reports people drinking in the accommodation, she finds it intimidating.”

She went there alone, feeling depressed and missing her brothers, sisters and mother.

“I don’t feel safe there. If I’m in pain or sick, there’s no one to help me,” she is quoted as saying. “Other residents took my money – they threatened me.”

One boy said he struggled in an adult shelter because “everyone is bigger than me” and he had no friends.

According to a GP from the medical charity Safetynet, the boy’s appearance was consistent with that of a 15-year-old.

“We have contacted Tusla who have informed us that if he is in adult accommodation he is considered an ‘adult’ by the state,” the report said.

The committee said it was “deeply concerned” that there were cases of children with “age differences” being placed in adult accommodation.

The report recommends that the Health Information and Quality Authority conduct an urgent audit of all state care facilities to assess the risk of exploitation and human trafficking.

Children represent 8% of all victims of trafficking in Ireland over the past 11 years – 44 children out of 566 victims. While this is lower than the EU average, it does not mean we have fewer child victims, the report says: “Rather, we believe this is because we do not have robust enough systems in place to identify victims of child trafficking.”

The IHREC wants victims of human trafficking to be protected from prosecution, under new legislation being prepared by Justice Minister Helen McEntee.

The organization wants the new operational guidelines to include a child-specific identification process and an age estimation process.

The report describes how Kiera, a mother of two, was in an abusive relationship and was offered the opportunity to work in a food processing factory by someone she knew.

Her alleged trafficker paid her wages after she received her salary from her employer. She was told she could not leave until she paid off her travel debt, or her family would be targeted.

Her hourly wage was about €1, the rest was withheld by her alleged trafficker.