Demand for services for victims of human trafficking in Ireland grew significantly

Demand for services supporting victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation provided by the NGO Ruhama grew by 35 per cent last year, with 497 individuals from a total of 46 nations engaging with the charity in 2022.

In its annual report for 2022, Ruhama said that 212 people sought services having been impacted by prostitution, while 138 individuals that contacted the charity were at risk of sexual exploitation. A total of 147 victims of trafficking used the charity’s services.

Of those who engaged with Ruhama’s services in 2022, 224 were seeking supports from the charity for the first time.

Of those impacted by prostitution who sought out supports from Ruhama, 45 were Irish nationals. Zimbabwean nationals made up 28 cases impacted by prostitution, while Romanian (18 cases), Brazilian (15 cases) and Nigerian (12 cases) nationals were also represented, among others.

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Of those impacted by human trafficking, 63 were from Nigeria, 20 from Zimbabwe, 12 from South Africa and six from Romania and Ghana respectively, among various other nationalities.

Ruhama, a nationwide charity, offers counselling services, facilitates pathways into education and employment, and runs outreach services aimed at the most vulnerable cohorts of Irish society, including those in Direct Provision and homeless accomondations.

Ruhama’s Bridge to Work scheme saw 102 service users gain employment in 2022. The scheme saw service users partake in five paid places with the charity’s employer partners.

Following the publication of the report, Barbara Condon, chief executive of Ruhama, said that more needed to be done to “protect women and girls from sexual violence and sexual exploitation.

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“Ruhama works with some of the most marginalised and vulnerable women in society and witness daily how prostitution and sex trafficking is inherently violent, exploitative and demeaning to women,” she said.

“The violence and complex trauma encountered can have a lifelong impact.”

Launching the report on Tuesday, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said that supporting victims of trafficking was a “priority” for her.

“This annual report is a stark reminder not only of the fact that that these crimes are happening and that they are happening in Ireland, but also importantly that there are real and vulnerable women behind the statistics.

“My zero tolerance plan to tackle domestic, sexual and gender based violence also has a range of actions, including on reducing demand for prostitution and ensuring that those, primarily women, in prostitution have access to safety, healthcare, support and exit routes.”

“I also look forward to publishing the new National Action Plan on Human Trafficking shortly. This will set out how the multi-agency work to combat human trafficking and support victims will be taken forward over the next 4 years,” Ms McEntee said.