As Europe marked EU Anti-Trafficking Day on 18 October, the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) called on the Justice Minister to step up efforts to combat forced labour in Ireland. The appeal came as governments and NGOs from across Europe, including the MRCI, gathered for an EU Ministerial Conference on trafficking in Brussels.
Forced labour is defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as a situation in which people enter work or service against their freedom of choice, and cannot leave it without punishment or the threat of punishment.
There are no official statistics for the number of people in Ireland who are, or have been, in situations of forced labour, but the MRCI is involved in assisting over 20 individuals who have been in forced labour situations, most of whom were working as domestic workers in the private home, as restaurants workers, agricultural workers and seafarers.
“We continually come across people in situations of forced labour across Ireland and the public knows nothing about it because it is so hidden,” said Edel McGinley, MRCI project leader on forced labour. “There needs to be a concerted effort to recognise and combat this crime in Ireland.
“We must ensure that all workers in these situations are protected and that their exploiters are brought to justice. This type of exploitation is an affront to all workers.”
