MIGRANT rights organisation Doras Luimní has seen a “worrying increase” in the exploitation of migrants in Limerick City and the Mid West region.
The Limerick-based group is also concerned about the rise in the number of migrant women involved in street prostitution in the city.
Doras Luimní anti-trafficking officer Patricia Stapleton explained: “Along with our Mid West partners, we are concerned with the increase of migrant women from disadvantaged areas of central and eastern Europe in on-street prostitution in Limerick City.
The lack of labour regulations or labour inspections for those on migrant work permits leaves them vulnerable to forced labour and exploitation and we are also concerned about the abuse of migrants on student visas who often pay exorbitant rates to unscrupulous agents in origin countries.”
Doras Luimní chief executive Karen McHugh said the organisation has seen a marked increase in the exploitation of migrants “across a variety of sectors and social settings”.
“We have witnessed an increase in the abuse of vulnerable migrants on work permits who are paid less than minimum wage and forced to work excessive hours as they are tied to a particular employer or risk becoming undocumented.
“We have seen an increase of young migrant women being prostituted in Limerick City by dangerous and unscrupulous criminal gangs; and, more recently, we have cases of young and vulnerable men from Eastern Europe being trafficked into Ireland to engage in narcotics distribution.”
The organisation made the comments following the recent release of the ‘Trafficking in Persons’ report by the US State Department, which revealed that 23 children were identified as trafficked victims in Ireland last year.
The report placed Ireland “at the centre of a sex-trafficking web” spanning three continents.
Doras Luimní welcomed the report, which ranked Ireland as a Tier 1 country, meaning that it has met minimum standards to combat trafficking in human beings.
However, the organisation warned that the report notes “the lack of substantial prosecutions under the act, the inconsistencies in the victim identification process, the fact that child victims made up nearly half of all identified victims in Ireland last year, and the inadequate and often confusing cooperation between NGO’s and authorities outside of Dublin”.
Doras Luimní has urged any migrant who is experiencing difficulty at work or who is being exploited to contact them immediately.
The organisation provides legal information, advice and support to all migrants living in the Limerick area and delivers an outreach service to all women involved in on-street prostitution in conjunction with the Red Ribbon Project.
