State is failing vulnerable child trafficking victims
DUBLIN — Responding to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission’s (IHREC) newly published Child Trafficking in Ireland Report, the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) has strongly condemned the ongoing systemic failures in protecting trafficking victims.
Teresa Buczkowska, CEO of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, said:
“IHREC’s report makes clear that Ireland is failing victims of trafficking, including children, who are among the most vulnerable victims of crime in our society. Too many victims are not being identified, and even when they are, they do not always receive the protection and practical support they need.
“From our own work, we are particularly concerned about access to safe and appropriate accommodation. On more than one occasion, the State has refused to provide accommodation to an identified victim of trafficking, and one of our clients was left sleeping on the street. That is an appalling failure of the State’s duty to protect victims of serious crime.
“A system that identifies a victim of trafficking and then leaves them homeless is not a system of protection.
“We strongly echo IHREC’s call for the State to fully implement the statutory National Referral Mechanism, so that victims can be identified as early as possible and quickly connected with the right services.
“The Government must act on IHREC’s recommendations without delay so that victims who come forward can trust that they will be believed, protected and properly supported.”
ENDS
Media Contact:
Ian Carey
Communications Manager
ian.carey@immigrantcouncil.ie
0863074004
About the Immigrant Council of Ireland
The Immigrant Council of Ireland is a human rights organisation and Independent Law Centre. We support and advocate for the rights of immigrants and their families and act as a catalyst for public debate, legal and policy change. Our vision is of a society that is fair, respects human rights and diversity and is committed to everyone, including people from a migrant background having the opportunity to fulfil their potential.