The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said it is aware of cases of separated children seeking asylum who have disappeared from care in Ireland and went on to suffer from labour or sexual exploitation.
This follows concern expressed by the Health Service Executive to the Department of Health that some of the 250 unaccompanied minors who have disappeared from State care are at risk of such forms of abuse.
Internal HSE documents, obtained by The Irish Times, show it has taken several children back into care after their rescue from "desperate situations" by gardaí.
In response to the reports, Siobhán O'Hegarty, senior programme manager at the IOM, said that while she could not comment on specific cases for reasons of client confidentiality, the organisation was aware of cases of exploitation in the State.
The IOM provides resettlement, repatriation and transportation assistance for migrants. It provided services to around 70 unaccompanied minors in the State over the last 12 months.
"From our caseload we have had cases of unaccompanied minors who were exploited and were victims of trafficking, without a shadow of a doubt," Ms O'Hegarty said.
She added: "Young children don't tend to have the resources to disappear on their own, and if a child does disappear, it's hard to believe they're moving on themselves."
Hundreds of unaccompanied minors arrive each year to seek asylum, most of whom are believed to be smuggled or trafficked into the State. Around half are reunited with family members, while the remainder end up in the care of health authorities. Some 174 such children were admitted into State care last year, and 225 in 2003.
The HSE has been privately seeking additional funds from the Department of Health in order to provide what it says is an appropriate level of care. Most minors are placed in private hostels which are not subject to inspection by the social services.
Minister for Health Mary Harney yesterday said the HSE had been allocated €11 billion and it was up to the agency to prioritise services to meet the needs of all children in care.
Talks about extending the remit of the Irish Social Services Inspectorate to places where unaccompanied minors are resident are due to take place shortly, she said. Ms Harney added that the Departments of Health and Justice and HSE were examining a recently-completed independent report into the level of services for unaccompanied minors.
Meanwhile, the Irish Refugee Council yesterday said the HSE documents raise further concerns over child protection issues arising from the reunification of minors with their families.
Héilean Rosenstock-Armie, the council's separated children's officer, said the lack of resources to fund adequate follow-ups to monitor the safety and welfare of children reunited with families was very worrying.
She also called for project workers, who could be available on a 24-hour basis, to be allocated to children or hostels.
