The Government is not fully complying with minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, a report by the US State Department has found.
The annual Trafficking in Personsreport, which is regarded as the most comprehensive global compendium of trafficking trends, again places the Republic in the second of three "tiers", indicating that the Government is not adhering to minimum standards but is making significant effort to do so.
Those efforts include the enacting of legislation criminalising trafficking, the initiation of awareness campaigns and the investigation of nearly 100 cases of potential trafficking.
"Although Ireland made significant strides, there was no evidence that trafficking offenders were prosecuted or convicted during the reporting period, and concerns remained about victim identification and protection," the report states.
For the second consecutive year, the US government names Ireland as a destination and, to a lesser extent, transit country for women, men and children trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labour. It states that women from eastern Europe, Africa, South America and Asia have been trafficked here for forced prostitution, while labour trafficking victims reportedly came from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, the Philippines and elsewhere.
The report also notes that, over the last eight years, 388 unaccompanied immigrant children have disappeared from State care. "While Irish authorities believe the majority of these children have been reunited with family members, the government reported that a small number of the missing children have been found in involuntary servitude in brothels, restaurants, and in domestic service."
The State Department recommended that Ireland vigorously prosecute trafficking offences and convict offenders, and continue to implement procedures to guide officials in identifying possible victims among vulnerable groups, such as unaccompanied foreign minors.
It also suggested that the Government should continue to take steps to ensure trafficking victims are not penalised for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
The report, released today by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, added six African countries to a "tier 3" blacklist of countries that do not make significant efforts to comply with minimum standards. These were Chad, Eritrea, Niger, Mauritania, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.
US allies Saudi Arabia and Kuwait remained on the list, as did Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Burma, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. The 17 countries on the blacklist could face sanctions, including the withholding of non-humanitarian, non-trade related US aid.
"With this report, we hope to shine the light brightly on the scope and scale of modern slavery so all governments can see where progress has been made and where more is needed," Mrs Clinton said.
The report also observed that the global economic crisis was "boosting the demand side of human trafficking". A shrinking global demand for labour and a growing supply of workers willing to take even greater risks for economic opportunities "seem a recipe for increased forced labour cases of migrant workers and women in prostitution," it stated.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland endorsed the report's recommendations.
"We have been raising concerns for some time that there are real problems in the identification of victims of sex trafficking in Ireland and although we acknowledge that the Government is committed to combating trafficking, this remains a real concern," chief executive Denise Charlton said.
"The report also makes several mentions of the number of unaccompanied minors who disappear from State care. We believe a significant number of these children are victims of trafficking. In the wake of the Ryan report, we would, again, call on the Government to urgently address this issue."