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THE US DEPARTMENT of State has found that Ireland is failing to meet the minimum standards required to combat human trafficking in a report.
The Department, which leads US foreign policy, released its annual Trafficking in Persons Report yesterday, ranked Ireland in the second tier of countries with respect to the State’s efforts to acknowledge and combat trafficking for the second year running.
That Ireland has not convicted any traffickers in the last year was one of the key issues highlighted in the report.
In its findings on the Irish State the Department wrote: “The government did not convict any traffickers – a decrease compared with the prior year – and has never convicted a trafficker for labor trafficking under its anti-trafficking law.”
“Chronic and systemic deficiencies in victim identification, referral, and assistance persisted; and services for victims remained inadequate,” it added.
Today, the Irish non-profit organisation that works with victims, Ruhama, stated that despite a decrease in trafficking convictions, it is seeing an increase in victims coming forward to get help.
While the UK, Spain, and Australia are amongst the countries that the Department found to be upholding standards, Ireland is joined by a host of countries on the tier 2 list including the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, India, and Norway.
Noteworthy, The Journal’s investigative branch, has looked extensively into trafficking in Ireland’s fishing industry through its Hands on Deck investigation, which was cited in the US Department’s report.
The report cited Noteworthy’s coverage last December of “instances of sea fishers paying significant fees to recruitment companies in the Philippines prior to arrival in Ireland, which increases their vulnerability to debt bondage and exploitation”.
It also mentioned key findings by our investigative unit, including that 4% of fishers in a controversial working permission scheme were “exploited in trafficking”.
Brian Killoran, the Chief Executive of the Immigrant Council of Ireland said that this result is disappointing, but not surprising.
He explained that the difficulties and barriers facing victims of trafficking in Ireland remain the same as they were last year.
Killoran added that despite the publication of a draft action plan, and the Government advancing towards draft legislation for a revised referral scheme for trafficking victims aimed at making supports more accessible, “this progress is just too slow”.
“Promises that have been made in relation to supports and adequate services for victims continue to be broken, and the continued use of the broken direct provision system to house victims of trafficking is causing untold harm,” he added.
Ruhama, a non-profit organisation that works with victims has today said that the housing of trafficking victims in Direct Provision centres is putting them at risk of being re-trafficked.
Some progress has been made, however, including increased funding, and the successful identification of multiple children trafficking victims in Ireland.
The US department identified the lack of convictions against traffickers as a key issue.
In 2022, Ireland identified 39 victims of trafficking, less than the 44 identified in 2021. 24 were survivors of sex trafficking, and 15 were trafficked for the purpose of labour exploitation. Four were children.
“We cannot continue to neglect these vulnerable people by failing to implement the policies and systems that could protect them. It’s the duty of the government to take timely action on the report recommendations, so that survivors of human trafficking have the supports and services they need to rebuild their lives,” Killoran said.
Mary Henderson, a solicitor with the Immigrant Council, said that trafficking victims in Ireland are facing barriers that could be removed, including not being able to access SUSI supports for higher education.
Henderson said that this issue has been raised with the Justice Minister Helen McEntee, but nothing has changed.
She added that this is particularly disappointing because the issue was supposed to be addressed when updates were made to Student Support Regulations earlier this year when Simon Harris was acting as Minister for Justice, and also had responsibility for the regulations under his remit as Education Minister.
As a result, victims of human trafficking won’t be able to access these supports come September of this academic year.
The US Department of State has made recommendations to the Irish State on how to improve its efforts to combat trafficking and support victims, these include:
- Appointing a family liaison officer to support trafficking victims who come forward to law enforcement.
- Vigorously investigating and prosecuting suspects and convicting traffickers of both sex and labour trafficking, and seek adequate penalties for traffickers “which should include significant prison terms”.
- Ensure victims are not penalised solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
- Establish a national hotline to report all forms of trafficking crimes.
- Expand government authorities to ensure the effective regulation and monitoring of agencies that recruit domestic workers and au pairs.
The full Trafficking in Persons Report can be read here.
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Third Level students have been very actively campaigning together for a No Detriment Policy to provide equality of opportunity especially when there are limited resources and difficult circustances being faced for many undertaking exams. Many politicians have voiced their support so far, it is disappointing that there has been no acknowledgement by the department in these statements regarding exams. I thank the writer of this article for recognising the countrywide campaigns to enact this policy. Third level students deserve to be heard.
@Paddy Flynn: and if we are not faciliated – that is a fatal number of votes (for any party) that can be cast elsewhere, against the individual politicians who could have acted, but did not.
@Martin Peter Rahill: Absolutely and students are part of the future and the recovery from this difficult time. All students I believe should be afforded as much support and encouragement as is possible. Given the unprecedented circumstances, equality of opportunity is both just and fair. The No Detriment Policy is the best proposal on the table and supported by students near and far so it deserves full acknowledgement and continued recognition.
@Paddy Flynn: and failure to acknowledge = potentially a failure by 1 or more T D.’s to be returned to the Oireachtas. Just like the grey vote, don’t mess students about.
@Martin Peter Rahill: but it isn’t a fatal number of votes. The student vote is so dispersed throughout the country that it fails to hold sway in all but a few constituencies, and I wager those TDs have rowed in behind you. Whilst I commend your enthusiasm, the student movement, along with other interest groups, have been making this type of claim for decades, but experience doesn’t support it
Not much chance the leaving cert will be able to go ahead in June, ridiculous to wait until a few weeks before it to announce that it won’t be going ahead as scheduled. No very fair on the students.
@6Times: There is no viable alternative other than to go ahead with the leaving cert. Where there’s a will there’s a way
@Eoghan Stynes: of course there is. Sit something like the CAT 4 later in the summer. Can’t go ahead as is. Not a good option but the least worst one I’ve heard.
@Graham Manning: or sit the leaving later in the summer.
@SteveÓ: given time missed, course not covered, makes given for practicals, orals etc don’t believe that’s the best move. Though none are good think standardised test such as CAT 4 is best of bad options.
There appears a somewhat Muted response towards taking the “No Detriment Policy”, signed for by over 10,000 3rd level students, and supported by Social Democrats, the Green Party, and the Labour Party- by both Mary Mitchell O’ Connor & Joe McHugh T.D.
Wouldn’t be all that wise to piss-off 10,000 students and growing – a T.D. or 2 could very easily lose their seat at the next election.
10,000 votes are not easily won – but they are very easily lost.
Your move Minsters.
@Martin Peter Rahill: 10,000 votes? Sure you’d be lucky to get that amount of people that “average student age” to vote. Plus ,divided throughout the country which dilutes their vote.
Wouldn’t change a thing.
@Steve O’Reilly: 10,000 signatures in 5 days – almost 200,000 students with full voting rights in the Republic of Ireland.
While previously I would agree I have witnessed students who didnt engage with Politics suddenly become very exercised when their GPA could come to be affected. 200,000 votes are ALOT of votes.
@Martin Peter Rahill: @Martin Peter Rahill: 57% of that age group are registered to vote. Would need a bigger push than that.
Leaving all that aside. I think the options being given to student are fair. They can either get marked instead through an online exam, assessments or reschedule the exam.
I know if I was still in College, having options like those given would release some stress.
@Steve O’Reilly: certainly – but for final year students there is potential for matters out of their control (the Covid-19 Pandemic) to indirectly affect their final mark – and ultimately the final standard of Degree they get.
@Steve O’Reilly: I could see that 57% (not sure if that’s the up to date number mind) climb somewhat – when students are having a potential 1.1 or a 2.1 torn from their grasp from 4-5 YEARS of graft and work – when it becomes clear that a mere signing of the dotted line of a Statutory Instrument could have prevented a Force Majeure (the Covid-19 Pandemic) from lowering their GPA.
@Steve O’Reilly: Well the students aren’t getting an option, though. The college decides the format of the exam and we have to go along with it. We can’t just decide that our grade will be adversely impacted and choose to have our assessment rescheduled, we do what we’re told. This is the case in any institution I’ve heard about, at least.
So in terms of options, we don’t have much. No detriment is not perfect but it’s much fairer in my mind than expecting students to do high intensity modules in this climate and maintain their grades they achieved when life was normal, with lecture and exam formats now as chaotic as they are.
@Martin Peter Rahill: but in respect of those graduating from degrees leading to the professions, law in your case, do you really think it’s acceptable to let people loose in those professions who in effect could have failed exams but got pulled up, and how much would you pull them up by?
@Martin Peter Rahill: In years gone by I’ve seen students do terrible and barely scrap past exams but pull it out of the fire for finals, and vice versa. Whilst no detriment would maintain a grade for many, for some it could give an unfair advantage or disadvantage, and accordingly the entire 2020 graduating class’s grades are undermined.
@D Mems: The no detriment policy does not let you pass the year if you’ve failed the summer assessments; there is no suggestion of letting unqualified students loose on their professions. You need to pass as with any year – but your grade average won’t be pulled down by these sets of exams. That’s all. Seems you’ve slightly misunderstood the idea. It’s explained well on the change.org petition site.
@Martin Peter Rahill: I wouldn’t be relying too much on Mary Mitchell O’Connor. She lost her seat in the recent election.
The college that I attend cancelled their May exams. We are doing online assessments instead.
@Just Some Guy: The college where I work did the same. We had 10+ hours of online meetings to decide how to replace exams, make sure all students have access and students with special needs are not disadvantaged, repeat students are tested appropriately etc. Look, it is our job and we are doing our best stab at it. The presumption that colleges are some sort of evil entities is ridiculous.
My college has just announced we’ll be doing our exam on the same date but open book and we’ll be given 24hrs to complete it and submit online.
@Danny O’ Mahony: that sounds very reasonable,
We are doing an online exam, open book but is only 2 hours,
I’ve heard of some colleges doing open book online exams.
No all rural students had broadband or in some cases it’s operating at a snails speed. If they defer to August they should not be capped at 40%
@An Grianan Girl: Deferrals are not capped in most colleges (certainly not in any I’ve worked in). Second attempts at exams are capped, a deferral is a first attempt, arranged for special circumstances.
@An Grianan Girl: In my college they have done numerous surveys asking students if they need support with anything and if their internet is suitable. For us we have 1 month to do the assignments.
@An Grianan Girl: I know exactly the issue, I was getting “broadband” from eir at a speed of 0.2mbps, at the beginning of March I made the decision luckily to order a 4G router and external antenna, had to construct a large pole to mount the antenna because my coverage is not brilliant, varying speeds now from 5-30 mbps, traffic,
It’s an option and not expensive for people stuck for internet, relatively easy to install depending on your coverage, some areas do not need external antenna,
Cheap deals from most operators
I think it is vital that the Leaving Cert is held in June to allow students to finish Secondary School and move forward to Third Level.
Then…it is vital to consider alternate assessment and college application/entrance requirements for the future. “Putting all your eggs in one basket” is showing to cause extreme stress in the best of times…and now in these unprecedented times, the fixed time-based nature of the exams is showing its weakness.
@Seeking Truth: I think the goal IS to have it in June. In person may not be possible but I wouldn’t rule it out. Scrap the Junior and you bring quite a bit of space into play. Students already sit far apart to avoid cheating. Bug question is really around congregating before and after exams not the exam itself.
Sorry for students pay again cos cancel
have your say