NORTHERN IRELAND must become a “hostile place” for anyone engaging in human trafficking, the Northern Ireland Assembly heard yesterday when endorsing a motion condemning such criminality.
Ulster Unionist Assembly member David McNarry, pressing for concerted action to combat human traffickers, said they were involved in “modern day slavery”.
Yesterday’s Assembly debate followed a police crackdown earlier this month of a suspected Scottish-based gang allegedly running brothels in Belfast and other areas. The criminal operation had the potential to be worth more than £20,000 (€23,600) per day, according to the PSNI.
Two men and two women have already appeared in court in connection with a UK-wide police operation against human trafficking that resulted in the closure of 13 brothels, seven of them in Belfast.
Twelve women and three men allegedly being compelled to engage in prostitution were “rescued” in the operation.
Mr McNarry said human beings were being “treated as commodities and are bought and sold for profit”.
“Organised crime gangs need to be dismantled, traffickers need to be put behind bars with robust sentences, and assets must be seized. Asset recovery is an important means by which we can punish the perpetrators and hit them where it will hurt – their finances,” he said.
Minister for Justice David Ford said the North was becoming a “staging post” for traffickers. He said it was a growing problem, and appealed for men who were thinking of using brothels to reconsider their actions. In June he disclosed that 25 victims of human trafficking were rescued in Northern Ireland in 2009.
Sinn Féin MLA Billy Leonard said there must be greater co-operation between the PSNI and the Garda to tackle the crime, a call also made by the SDLP. “There needs to be a co-ordinated approach across the island if we are to successfully halt this form of human slavery,” said Mr Leonard.
“Policing is key to resolving the problem, and there needs to be a harsher approach against those who not only exploit these unfortunate people for financial gain but also those who use the people for sexual gratification,” he added.
