Fine Gael National Press Office Press Release

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High Level Group to address trafficking and victims rights must be established urgently

Following today's (Thursday) publication of the Immigrant Council of Ireland's report on sex trafficking and prostitution revealed the scale of the sex trade in Ireland, it is clear that Ireland must put legislation and services in place for victims as a matter of urgency, according to Fine Gael Spokesperson for Immigration and Integration, Denis Naughten TD.

"Ireland's approach to tackling sex trafficking has been piecemeal and insufficient. We must now put a comprehensive strategy in place to deal with the proliferation of sex trafficking into Ireland's €180m illegal sex industry. Proof that our approach is failing can be seen in the figures. In regard to the 102 victims of trafficking identified in the last 21 months, 11 of whom were children, no convictions were secured for illegal trafficking.

"Victims of trafficking who come forward to authorities receive no real protection. It is a sad state of affairs that women who do come forward, it is they - the victims and not the traffickers who are imprisoned - because of their illegal immigrant status. The Government is in effect protecting the sex trafficker while undermining the position of the victim. With political will, we can reverse this immediately and secure our first convictions against those directly involved in this debased trade.

"As Europe tightens its prostitution laws, so too must Ireland. The Dutch are closing down up to one third of their Red Light District in Amsterdam after their liberal policy on prostitution failed to prevent organised crime and human trafficking elements from operating. The UK has also introduced legislation designed to tackle the demand end of the prostitution market.

"The UK proposal, which could be law before the summer, will punish those who buy sex from trafficked women. Ignorance of the fact that the woman was trafficked will not stand up in court. This will immediately hit the demand end of this illegal industry in both Britain and Northern Ireland and the net effect will be to push illegal traffickers south of the border to the Republic where our laws are not nearly as restrictive.

"Northern Ireland identified 11 sex trafficking victims recently and their authorities were in a position to respond with sheltered accommodation and support services. Today's report reveals that almost 10 times that number of victims have been identified in the Republic. I understand that Sonas Housing, which offers accommodation and support services to victims of domestic violence, could provide a service to sex trafficked victims if it received additional resources and Ministerial agreement.

"In addition to putting these services in place, the Government must, as a matter of urgency, also establish a High Level Group to examine our prostitution laws with a view to preventing the further proliferation of sex trafficking into what is an already growing industry."