Trafficking in human beings has attracted considerable public and political attention in recent years. With this attention has come greater awareness that trafficking for forced labour exists in every country including Ireland, where it has been identified in a variety of sectors including agriculture, construction, domestic work and restaurant work.And yet, while many initiatives have grown in response to these stark forms of labor exploitation, including within the framework of trafficking in human beings, there remains a vast gulf between the political response to trafficking and the reality of experiences of forced labour. Considerable weaknesses in addressing forced labour remain. They rest largely on the move away from a focus on exploitation and forced labour to solely focusing on trafficking concerns.
This research by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland presents several issues of concern and emerging good practices in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the area of trafficking for forced labour. At the end of the publication MRCI presents several recommendations to the governments of Ireland and UK.