The failure to train all medics to recognise signs a patient may be a victim of human trafficking was “neglect in the care of the most vulnerable in society”, a conference in Dublin heard on Wednesday.
US ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin, addressing a summit on human trafficking, said medical professionals had “unique access to victims” but often lacked “sufficient training, action plans and confidence” to act on suspicions. “This is not only a missed opportunity but it is neglect in the care of the most vulnerable in our society,” she said.
Ms Cronin was speaking at an event at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, hosted by its faculty of nursing and midwifery, which heard nine out of 10 trafficking victims will use health services while in captivity.
Signs that a patient could have been trafficked include: they appear fearful or submissive to their partner or person accompanying them; they do not speak for themselves; they are inconsistent with information about their medical, social or family background; they are in poor physical health, or they are suffering trauma including broken bones, bruises, scars, burn marks, or gynaecological trauma and multiple sexually transmitted infections.
While 566 people were identified as victims of trafficking from 2013-2023, the true figure is likely to be far higher, the event heard.
In its most recent Trafficking in Persons report, published in June, the US State Department said Ireland “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so”. In particular, it criticised ineffective processes for the identification, and referral to appropriate supports, of victims.
At Wednesday’s conference, Maria Walsh MEP said the new revised EU anti-trafficking directive, published in July, which has yet to be transposed into Irish law, included a “strong emphasis on training” for healthcare professionals that would not be optional. This would ensure they “recognise clues that could easily be overlooked without the proper training”.
It was important children as well as adults were monitored for signs of being trafficked, she added. “This is particularly urgent as children can be exploited for labour, forced marriages and even criminal activity,” she said. “Each missed indicator is a missed opportunity ... Trafficking is a healthcare and human rights crisis.”
The summit heard concerns that while a national human trafficking action plan, published by the Department of Justice last year, tasks the HSE with rolling out trafficking awareness training among health and social care professionals, many professionals were not HSE employees.
It was “impractical and unrealistic” to expect them to access training at their own expense, or outside their normal working hours, the event heard.
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