A CORK man helping in the fight against child trafficking voiced concern that the safety of vulnerable children is being left to the public, and is calling for much stronger action by authorities in Ireland.
JP O'Sullivan from MECPATHS (Mercy Efforts for Child Protection Against Trafficking with the Hospitality Sector) offers training to help those in the hospitality industry pinpoint signs of child trafficking.
He spoke of how one Cork hotel the organisation provided information to contact them with suspicions about a guest who it later turned out had managed to traffic a child to Ireland.
While the hotel worker immediately noticed the signs, Mr O'Sullivan said he was alarmed that the predator had made it through airport security despite clear warning signs.
The child was immediately taken in by Tusla. However, the advocate believes that, without the help of this hotel worker, the child would likely have remained undetected.
It comes a year after the publication of the Trafficking in Persons Report 2021. The study highlighted Ireland as one of the weakest EU states in terms of government response to combatting human trafficking.
Previously confined to hospitality settings, MECPATHS has now expanded its services to facilitate the training of frontline workers to help increase child trafficking detections across the country.
JP O'Sullivan from MECPATHS (Mercy Efforts for Child Protection Against Trafficking with the Hospitality Sector) offers training to help those in the hospitality industry pinpoint signs of child trafficking.
It has now rolled out its services to healthcare providers, including a number in Cork. They will be among the first cohorts in the country to undergo specialist training in this area. Mr O'Sullivan underlined the need for change.
“Even in the course of two years in lockdown, concerns have escalated and grown,” he said.
JP, who originally hails from North Cork, emphasised the need for a national response to the issue.
“Medical staff and teachers are among the cohorts most likely to encounter children affected by trafficking,” he said.
“That's not to say that they are not in the country or from the country. It's because nobody is looking for them. The reality is that Ireland is not screening. We are being told by European officials that Ireland is a huge problem.
“The U.S State Department very clearly said last year that Irish children are being subjected to sex trafficking within the country. Nobody is expediting a national response in finding the children. There is an agreement that this is happening, but nobody is looking for the children. It shouldn't be down to private individuals on the street to scan for victims of trafficking, but this is the reality we are faced with.”
He listed the indications to look out for in situations involving suspected trafficking.
“Detection is currently down to the wider population,” he said. “There is a positive energy in Cork when it comes to the people we deal with, because they want to do something to be proactive. It's less difficult to spot the signs of a child who is being trafficked because they find it harder to hide things.
“Often, it's the case that they will be dressed inappropriately for the weather. They may not be allowed to speak or the communication might not be as free as it usually would be between an adult and a child.”
He said the definition of trafficking is not as narrow as many assume.
“It's that distinct feeling in your stomach that lets you know that something isn't right; that's when you know you have to act immediately,” he said. “This is not an immigration issue. It's a human rights issue. Even when a child is brought from one room to another for the purposes of child exploitation, this still constitutes trafficking.”
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