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Trafficking in Human Beings
What is "trafficking in persons"?
"Trafficking in persons" shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs; UN office on Drugs & Crime
“Human trafficking is distinct from people smuggling in that it involves the exploitation of the migrant, often for purposes of forced labour and prostitution”. Interpol
Trafficking in women:
Trafficking in women for sexual exploitation is a multi-billion-dollar business which involves citizens of most countries and helps sustain organized crime. A violation of human rights, it destroys the lives of its victims.
International Conventions:
People Smuggling:
People smuggling implies the procurement, for financial or material gain, of the illegal entry into a state of which that person is neither a citizen nor a permanent resident. Criminal networks which smuggle and traffic in human beings for financial gain increasingly control the flow of migrants across borders.
Child Sexual Exploitation:
Child sexual exploitation on the Internet ranges from posed photos to visual recordings of brutal sexual crimes. One of Interpol’s main tools for helping police fight this type of crime is the Interpol Child Abuse Image Database (ICAID). (Source: Interpol).
Sources of Information:
HumanTrafficking.com is managed by a team of volunteers around the world who are committed to end trafficking in persons.
Ireland - Sources of Information:
Ireland - Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004 US Department of State
FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAFFICKING INFRASTRUCTURE - Evidence suggests that organized criminal gangs are helping international traffickers establish trafficking routes in Ireland. Links between the Irish sex industry and the Russian mafia have been reported. Of particular concern to the Irish police, known as Gardai, is the growing presence of Russian and Albanian mafias. Gangs based in Estonia and Latvia have also allegedly trafficked women to Ireland.
THE DANGERS OF BEGGING - · Children who are abandoned to beg or forced to beg with parents (sometimes from early infancy) represent a clear-cut child protection issue.· Such children are often deprived of their constitutional right to education. They are exploited, demeaned and have their human dignity assaulted. They are out in all kinds of weather placing their health, physical, emotional and psychological development at risk.
[48] Sale and trafficking of children for purposes connected to slavery are criminalized under the Slave Trade Act of 1824 and under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act of 1998 it is an offence to traffic in or abduct children for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Prostitution itself is not an offence, but soliciting in the streets, or living off the earnings of another’s prostitution constitutes an offence. Criminal liability is incurred regardless of the age of the prostitute or client. The Children’s Act of 2001 provides a framework of safeguards stipulating how children must be treated in police custody and the operation and special proceedings of the Children’s Court.
INVESTIGATION - In Ireland neither the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking Act) 2000 nor the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 has ever resulted in a successful prosecution for the crime of trafficking, though individuals have been arrested and charged. This is in contrast to other countries which have had successful prosecutions. There were approximately 7,000 prosecutions in some 20 countries and 3,000 convictions. Unfortunately many countries, including Ireland, do not have strong legislation to allow for successful convictions.
POLL QUESTION: Should Ireland tighten its laws on human trafficking? View Poll Results.
The extent of this problem in Ireland is largely unknown as there is inadequate research into the phenomenon and because it lacks visibility. However, it appears that there is an increased incidence of human trafficking and in particular in the volume of women being trafficked into the country for sex industry.
IOM has welcomed the launch of the first information campaign in Ireland today to raise awareness of human trafficking in the country. The campaign is focused around a poster which is available in five languages - Russian, Romanian, Portuguese, French and Chinese - and which features a free phone number which victims can call for assistance. They will then be referred to an appropriate agency including the police and the IOM office in Dublin. The campaign will target high visibility areas such as nightclubs, airports, bus and train stations.
The Minister also participated in the launch of the Crimestoppers campaign on trafficking in human beings. Posters will be displayed at airports, ports, bus and railway stations, among other places. The posters will advertise a free phone helpline - 1800 25 00 25 - and anyone who rings the number can be assured that their call is anonymous, safe and free.
Ireland remains the only EU country not to have introduced legislation to define and outlaw trafficking of adults.
The Framework Decision will impose strict penalties, including a possible eight-year prison term, on anyone involved in the recruitment, transportation and harboring of people when there is: force, coercion or threat, including abduction, deceit or fraud, abuse of people's vulnerability, payments given to someone who has authority over a victim. The document will also create new crimes where the trafficking is with the purpose of: using the person's labor, including forced or compulsory labor, slavery or servitude involving the person in prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation, including pornography.
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