Fine Gael aims to confront sex trafficking
Fine Gael has today published a Private Members Motion to address the issue of people trafficking.
Denis Naughten TD said the party expects to table the motion in the Dáil in the current session.
"The Government’s approach to tackling sex trafficking has been piecemeal and insufficient," he said.
"We must now put a comprehensive strategy in place to deal with the proliferation of sex trafficking into Ireland’s €180m illegal sex industry.
"Proof that our approach is failing was again seen in the figures published last week by the CSO which showed the number of human trafficking cases recorded in the crime figures rising to 46 in the last 12 months, from four for the whole of 2008, with 15 cases in the third quarter of the year.
"The reality is that unless we adopt a decisive and practical approach to protection and support systems, victims will not come forward to Garda authorities. This is fundamental to securing convictions against those directly involved in this trade.
"Our law currently provides for a defence in court to prove that they did not know that the person was trafficked. However, a new law for the UK will bring a provision of direct liability into force – ignorance to the fact an individual was sex trafficked will not be defensible in court.
"The net effect of the UK law will be to push illegal traffickers south of the border to the Republic where our laws are not nearly as restrictive. As our European colleagues tighten their prostitution laws, so too must Ireland."
