Press release
Minister Hildegarde Naughton and the International Organisation for Migration launch new anti-human trafficking awareness initiative
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Published on
Last updated on
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the Minister of State for Civil and Criminal Justice, Hildegarde Naughton TD, today launch a public awareness initiative on human trafficking.
The key messages are that human trafficking is a crime that is happening in Ireland, that traffickers often profit from the misery of their victims in forced employment, and that the public need to be vigilant.
The launch coincides with EU anti-trafficking day, which is marked on 18 October each year.
Launching the campaign, Minister Naughton said:
"This campaign comes just weeks after significant sentences were imposed for involvement in human trafficking in Ireland, and we need to be alert to it – this heinous crime is happening here and that it’s not limited to our big cities.
"Vulnerable people are trafficked into Ireland for exploitation reasons including sexual exploitation, forced labour and forced criminality.
"While An Garda Síochána and other state agencies including the health authorities are doing significant work to combat this scourge and to respond to the needs of victims, it is incumbent on the rest of us to play our part by being vigilant and open to the possibility that someone may need help."
A number of significant measures are underway across Government to combat human trafficking. Minister Naughton earlier this year received government approval to revise the National Referral Mechanism to make it easier for victims of trafficking to come forward, be identified and access advice, accommodation and support. The Department of Justice is working to advance this important initiative.
The #AnyoneTrafficked 2021 campaign will be rolled out on social media and in key transport hubs across the country until the end of November. It is being undertaken with the support of a number of other state agencies and non-state organisations.
Speaking on behalf of the UN Migration Agency (IOM), John McGeoghan, Officer in Charge, said:
"IOM supports the Department of Justice’s efforts to fight human trafficking in Ireland.
"Raising awareness about who is trafficked is vital in enabling the public to play their part in reporting suspected cases to the authorities. If something doesn’t feel right to you then it probably isn’t – you should report it."
Anyone with suspicions in relation to trafficking should contact An Garda Siochana on 1800 666 111 or 999/112 or blueblindfold@garda.ie
More information and materials - including the campaign videos - are available on the campaign website www.anyonetrafficked.com. Further resources on anti-human trafficking are also available on a website maintained by the Department of Justice at www.blueblindfold.gov.ie.
Human trafficking is a heinous crime based on deception and exploitation of vulnerable people. The government is serious about preventing and prosecuting for human trafficking – the victim centred policy approach that we are taking will encourage more victims to come forward which will in turn strengthen prosecutions and convictions.
Over the past year the Department of Justice has introduced significant measures to combat trafficking, to create a more victim-centred approach to identifying and supporting victims and to raise awareness and provide training, including:
A specialised Garda Unit, the Human Trafficking Investigation and Co-ordination Unit (HTICU), has been in place since 2009 to conduct investigations into human trafficking. It also provides advice, support and where necessary, operational assistance to investigations at district level.
Earlier this year saw the first convictions for human trafficking handed down by the Courts. On 28 September significant sentences were handed down in Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court for these crimes.
Significant efforts are being made by the government at home and with our partners abroad to combat human trafficking. Ireland and our partners are active on this issue in international fora including the UN, Council of Europe, OSCE and the European Union and Ireland. We have a close working relationship, in particular, with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) - The UN Migration Agency, and the OSCE who participate in our Human Trafficking Victims Forum as well as key civil society organizations providing services to victims.
*The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the United Nations Migration Agency and is the leading inter-governmental organisation in the field of migration. IOM works in partnership with governments, other United Nations agencies, international and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and development partners on all aspects of Counter-Trafficking responses – prevention, protection, and prosecution.
Since the mid-1990s, IOM and its partners have provided protection and assistance to close to 100,000 men, women and children, who were trafficked for sexual and labour exploitation, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude, or for organ removal. Agriculture, fishing, domestic work and hospitality, commercial sexual exploitation, pornography, begging, construction, and manufacturing are some of the sectors in which victims were exploited.