Human trafficking has increased by 20% in Ireland in last three years, new report shows [Video]

A TOTAL OF 53 victims of trafficking were identified in Ireland in 2023 – an increase of 20% from 2021. 

Over the three years spanning 2021 to 2023, there were 139 victims officially identified, 53 of which were accepted into the current National Referral Mechanism in 2023.

This is according to the findings of the Third National Anti-Human trafficking report of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), as Ireland’s National Rapporteur on Human Traffic, which has been published today. 

The increase, which has been described by the IHREC as “a significant rise that has occurred within a relatively short  period of time”, shows that the state is “making advancements in how we tackle the problems of human trafficking” and improving its capacity to identify victims, the commission said. 

Children represent 8% of all victims in trafficking in Ireland over the last 11 years. 44 children have been officially …