A nationwide publicity campaign to highlight the problem of human trafficking was started by Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell this morning.
The initiative, which is spearheaded by An Garda Síochána in conjunction with Crimestoppers, is aimed at heightening awareness among local communities in Ireland of the effects of this crime.
The recently published United Nations Office on Drug and Crime report ranks Ireland as low-risk in terms of being a destination country for victims of trafficking in human beings.
However, Chief Superintendent Derek Byrne from the Garda National Immigration Bureau said that Garda operations have uncovered a small number of trafficking cases and warned that there was a risk of increased cases occurring here in the future.
"While the incidence of human trafficking may be lower in this country than elsewhere, An Garda Síochána recognises that the presence of a growing immigration population provides the potential for traffickers to use Ireland as a possible destination for their victims," said Chief Supt Byrne.
It is estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 people are the victims of this crime throughout the world each year and approximately 100,000 women are believed to be the victims of trafficking in Europe.
Speaking today, Mr McDowell described human trafficking as a form of modern slavery.
"Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labour. It is a growing international crime and has become a major global business for organised crime groups and networks," said Mr McDowell.
"To date the incidence of such trafficking in Ireland is limited, but we face the same threats as those faced by many other countries worldwide," he added.
As part of the new publicity campaign, a series of posters are to be placed at venues where non-Irish nationals are known to frequent - including airports, bus and railway stations, hospitals, hotels and pubs.
In addition to increasing awareness of human trafficking, the initiative is designed to encourage victims of the crime in Ireland to contact Crimestoppers on its free and confidential number (1800-250025).
Under current Irish criminal law it is an offence, punishable by up to life imprisonment, to traffic a person under 17 years of age for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
