Summary
Human trafficking is a lucrative global criminal enterprise that victimises millions of people worldwide. Gathering statistics on this crime is challenging. In Ireland, 566 people were identified as victims of trafficking between 2013-2023 but the real figure is likely to be substantially higher. Trafficked people are kept under the radar of the authorities and public services with one notable exception – healthcare. International studies have shown that 9 out of 10 trafficked individuals will interact with health services within the first year of being trafficked. A 2023 scoping review of health systems and human trafficking by the World Health Organisation indicated that in many cases health professionals are the only people, other than their traffickers, that victims come into direct contact with during their exploitation. However, the review shows that less than 1% of these victims are identified by the doctors, nurses, dentists or midwives they interact with.
Women and children are the primary victims of trafficking – overwhelmingly for sexual exploitation but also for forced labour, criminal exploitation, forced begging, forced surrogacy, forced marriage and illegal adoption. Health and social care professionals in Ireland lack the training to identify and respond appropriately to indications of human trafficking. Lack of awareness and absence of education about this issue is a missed opportunity with tragic consequences. The lack of education on trafficking leaves healthcare professionals unaware and health systems unprepared to assist victims of human trafficking.
The aim of this programme is to support health and social care professionals to understand, recognise, and detect situations where they suspect or believe that an individual in their health or social care setting is a victim of human trafficking.