Ireland ECPAT Country Overview – a Report on the Scale, Scope And

ECPAT A report on the scale, scope and context of the sexual exploitation of children November, 2018 International Table of contents Acronyms 1 Preface 2 At a Glance 3 This publication has been produced with the Introduction 4 financial assistance of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), The The Context of the Sexual Exploitation Oak Foundation and the Hilton Prize Coalition. of Children in Ireland 7 International, Regional and National The views expressed herein are solely those of Commitments and Legislation on the Sexual ECPAT International. The support from these Exploitation of Children 13 donors does not constitute endorsement of the opinions expressed. National Response to the Sexual Exploitation of Children 20 This publication was written by: Adaiana Souza Lima Child, Victim and Survivor Participation 27 With assistance from: Recommendations for Action 28 Franseza Pardoe, Mark Kavenagh and Andrea Varrella Design and layout by: Manida Naebklang ECPAT International would like to thank Paul Gilligan and Saoirse Brady for their review and contribution to this overview. Extracts from this publication may be reproduced only with permission from ECPAT International and acknowledgment of the source and ECPAT International. A copy of the relevant publication using extracted material must be provided to ECPAT. Suggested citation: ECPAT International. (2018). ECPAT Country Overview: Ireland. Bangkok: ECPAT International. © ECPAT International, 2018 Published by: ECPAT International 328/1 Phaya Thai Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand Tel: +662 215 3388 |www.ecpat.org | [email protected] Acronyms AHTT Anti-Human Trafficking Team AHTU Anti-Human Trafficking Unit CASS Child Accompaniment Service Support CEFM Child, early and forced marriage CESCR Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child CSAM/CSEM Child sexual abuse / exploitation material DCYA Department of Children and Youth Affairs DJE Department of Justice and Equality EU European Union GRETA Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings HSE Health Service Executive HTICU Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit ICT Information and Communications Technology ILO International Labour Organization INHOPE International Association of Internet Hotlines INTERPOL International Criminal Police Organization ISP Internet Service Provider OCSE Online child sexual exploitation OPSC Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography SDGs Sustainable Development Goals SEC Sexual exploitation of children SECTT Sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism Country Overview: A report on the scale, scope and context of the sexual exploitation of children in IRELAND 1 Preface Recent years have seen unprecedented progress ECPAT Country Overview also suggest concrete towards embedding the child’s right to protection priority actions urgently needed to proactively from sexual exploitation more deeply into the advance the national fight against SEC and global agenda, no more so than the global enable the monitoring of the implementation of mandate to eliminate the sexual exploitation international instruments on child rights related to of children (SEC) enshrined in the Sustainable sexual exploitation that have been ratified by the Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world State. Furthermore, the ECPAT Country Overviews leaders in 2015. ECPAT Country Overviews on SEC provide well-organised information and research, provide an effective tool for advocacy at all levels which can be used in preparing Alternative Reports as well as for monitoring, including on government and Additional Submissions to the Committee commitments made in the SDGs to end violence on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights against children in all its different forms by 2030. Council. ECPAT Country Overviews are first and foremost, During the process, drafts are shared with ECPAT a desk review exercise that gather and present members, relevant local organisations, and experts all the existing publicly available information working on the ground who review the content into a comprehensive summary of all forms of and supplement the information with other local SEC in a country. They do not contain any new sources and analysis. ECPAT International greatly primary data. They also provide an assessment relies on the contributions of all those involved in of achievements and challenges in implementing producing these reports and would like to express counteractions - including the participation of its profound appreciation for their invaluable children themselves - to eliminate SEC. inputs. 2 Country Overview: A report on the scale, scope and context of the sexual exploitation of children in IRELAND At a Glance The Republic of Ireland has an estimated offences relating to SEC. However, a victim-centred population of 4,72 million inhabitants, out of approach is still missing in the Irish legislation. which 1,19 million are children. The country was hit hard by the 2007-2008 financial crisis and the The Department of Children and Youth Affairs ensuing austerity measures, which worsened and the Department of Justice and Equality both the national levels of poverty and homelessness. play pivotal roles in putting togetherpolicies to Although a developed country, Ireland still suffers protect children. So far, they have implemented a from social inequality and income disparity, which National Policy Framework for Children & Young are risk factors for the sexual exploitation of People, and a National Action Plan to Prevent and children (SEC). Combat Human Trafficking in Ireland, which both address aspects of SEC. However, Ireland’s Special Data on the exploitation of children in Rapporteur on Child Protection has highlighted prostitution is limited in Ireland, but the presence gaps in the National Action Plan. of children in brothels has been reported with victims being predominantly Irish or EU citizens. In terms of prevention measures, the country The country has a high rate of mobile phone has launched several sensitisation campaigns and Internet usage, which can increase the risk and it provides therapeutic support for child sex of online child sexual exploitation (OCSE), such offenders to reduce risks of recidivism. In terms as online grooming. Ireland continues to be a of children’s access to justice, there is no national destination country and is increasingly becoming complaint mechanism adapted for child victims, a source country for child victims of trafficking which takes into consideration their specific for sexual purposes. The sexual exploitation of vulnerabilities. They nevertheless have the right children in travel and tourism (SECTT) is also an to be accompanied by a solicitor and/or another issue with offenders taking advantage of cheap person of their choice when reporting a crime. airfares and developed transport networks to Furthermore, when all domestic remedies have commit crimes abroad. Furthermore, children been tried, children have the possibility to turn to have been involved in recent years in cross-border international bodies such as the European Court crimes, which include trafficking for the purpose of Human Rights and/or the CRC Committee to of sham and forced marriages. submit a complaint. The country has ratified some ofthe most relevant Some forms of child-sensitive measures legal instruments in the fight against SEC, are in place, such as accompaniment of the including the Convention on the Rights of the Child child throughout court proceedings, but the (CRC) and the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms country does not yet have specific recovery and of Child Labour; but it has yet to ratify the CRC’s reintegration services for child victims of SEC, and Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child it could benefit from having clearer avenues for Prostitution and Child Pornography (OPSC), and victims to seek compensation. the Council of Europe’s Lanzarote and Budapest Conventions. The country also established Although mechanisms promoting children's partnerships with international agencies to combat participation in Irish governanceare recognised SEC. and included in a provision by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, more progress needs to Recent years has seen progress in terms of be made to consult and take into consideration the legislation to protect children from SEC, notably needs and interests of child victims and survivors with the enactment of a Criminal Law (Sexual in particular. Offences) Act 2017, which criminalises new Country Overview: A report on the scale, scope and context of the sexual exploitation of children in IRELAND 3 Introduction COUNTRY OVERVIEW AND SPECIFIC VULNERABILITIES IRELAND LEADING TO THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN The Republic of Ireland (hereafter Ireland) comprises 26 of the 32 counties located on the Irish Island in the North Atlantic. The country has an international overland border crossing, CHILD which grants access to Northern Ireland, and is POPULATION separated from Great Britain by sea. English and Irish are the official languages; however, the latter is mostly spoken in areas along Ireland’s western coast.1 The most widely professed religion is Roman Catholicism, followed by Protestantism, Islam, Orthodox Christianity and other forms of Christianity.2 Ireland has an estimated population of 4,72 million inhabitants, of which 1,19 are children.3

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