US report leaves Ireland on tier-two watchlist for trafficking for fourth straight year
Washington's annual Trafficking in Persons assessment has kept Ireland in the second tier for a fourth consecutive year, faulting gaps in victim care and delays in rolling out the National Referral Mechanism.
US report leaves Ireland on tier-two watchlist for trafficking for fourth straight year
Washington's annual Trafficking in Persons assessment has kept Ireland in the second tier for a fourth consecutive year, faulting gaps in victim care and delays in rolling out the National Referral Mechanism.
The 2025 TIP evaluation says Dublin has not yet satisfied baseline requirements for wiping out trafficking, while conceding that meaningful steps are being taken.
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, which monitors the issue domestically, welcomed the recognition of expanded police inquiries, court convictions and budget allocations for survivor aid and public education.
Yet the American document underlined persistent weaknesses. No court findings have been secured for labour-related trafficking. Referral pathways, survivor support and victim recognition remain patchy. The National Referral Mechanism, approved in law during 2024, has still not been activated.
Housing for survivors is judged insufficient, and judges have not received dedicated training on trafficking cases.
IHREC has repeatedly pressed ministers to launch the Referral Mechanism, which would open services to survivors without forcing them to assist Garda investigations.
The body expressed deep worry over what it termed the authorities' continuing inability to safeguard children who arrive alone or whose age is disputed. These young people may be placed in unsuitable lodgings and incorrectly treated as grown-ups.
Looking ahead, IHREC warned that bringing the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum into Irish law could create fresh hazards. Swifter asylum procedures, it said, risk overlooking trafficking survivors unless protective measures are strengthened.
Chief Commissioner Liam Herrick insisted that more decisive action is required.
"There are glimmers of improvement, yet repeated breakdowns in finding and shielding victims cannot be allowed to persist," he said. "We need methods shaped by understanding of trauma and the needs of children, plus an unambiguous pledge that survivors will not be locked up, mislabelled or muzzled by rushed processes."
Source: Law Society Gazette
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)