Cork says no to trafficking

The Government response to human trafficking has been dubbed as appalling by an action group set up to voice their concerns, especially in Cork.

A number of agencies have joined force to raise their combined voices against human trafficking in Ireland, with a particular focus on Cork.

The Cork Against Human Trafficking (CAHT) group says that human trafficking finds itself at home in Ireland, alive on the streets of Cork and very clearly hidden in plain sight.

CAHT has been in existence since earlier this year and since its foundation membership has grown quickly. Membership includes representatives from several organisations, both non-profit and statutory, like the Sexual Violence Centre Cork, NASC, UCC, An Garda Síochána and the HSE.

Mary Crilly, Director of the Sexual Violence Centre, told the Cork Independent: “A new report from the USA which monitors (how well countries are responding to it) shows that Ireland has been demoted. We are now at the same level as India when it comes to the Government’s response to trafficking which is appalling. We are small country and we can do a lot better.”

She also said people are being trafficked into Cork to work in the sex trade, which is mostly women, however men are often trafficked to work illegally in Cork, too.

Ms Crilly said, when it comes to the sex trade and brothels, whether you agree with them or not, they are illegal and it’s about a culture change.

If the culture changes and people stop going to brothels, then a profit won’t be made out of the women in there.

“The people being trafficked into Cork are essentially slaves,” she added.

Tuesday, which was World Day against Trafficking in Persons, saw a social media campaign on Twitter to raise awareness of what happening on Cork's streets. Ms Crilly said that the campaign went very well and, at one stage, it was the number one trending topic in Ireland on the social media platform.

The Sexual Violence Centre also hosted a gathering of about 50 people from several agencies to highlight what CAHT aims to do and what can be done to raise more awareness.