Serious concerns are being raised about the lack of protections available to women who are being trafficked into Cork and the rest of the country for sex.

Yesterday (Wednesday, November 23) Cork South Central TD Ciarán Lynch called on the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Brian Lenihan to include comprehensive victim protection measures as part of the Human Trafficking Bill.

Deputy Lynch said that in response to his question,  Minister Lenihan’s said that these would be addressed  as part of a wider immigration and residence issue saying, “this ultimately means that the supports required in protecting victims of sex trafficking so urgently needed to support the Trafficking Bill remained delayed and outstanding.”

Campaigners such as Mary Crilly of the Sexual Violence Centre have been calling for such protections for a long time.

Mary Crilly says she knows of at least four confirmed cases of women who have been trafficked into Cork for sex, a figure which she says represents just a small number of such women.  In fact, she believes that up to two hundred women may be being trafficked into the country for sex, many of whom would reside in Cork or be sent here ‘on tour’.

According to Mary Crilly many of these women come to Ireland under the auspices that they will be employed here but, when they arrive here they are often brutally raped or beaten, have their documentation taken and are forced into prostitution.

She went on to explain how difficult women find it to get out of the trafficking trade with many afraid to come forward for fear they’ll be sent back to the very people who sent them here in the first place.

Highlighting the plight of these women, the Sexual Violence Centre Cork will be collecting signatures from members of the public for a petition calling on the Minister to introduce protections for these women.

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment