GARDAÍ made a sweep on suspected brothels operating in Limerick, along with every major town and city in Ireland, as part of an operation global chain targeting human trafficking and exploitation.
Between June 1 and 6, An Garda Síochána, in collaboration with Europol, Interpol, and EU border and coast guard agency Frontex, carried out the operation focused on detecting and disrupting organised crime groups involved in the human trafficking – in particular child trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced criminality, and forced begging.
During the weeklong operation, titled Global Chain, the Garda National Protective Services Bureau and Divisional Protective Services Units also conducted welfare visits to suspected brothels nationally to investigate potential sexual exploitation.
179 individuals were interviewed nationwide throughout the operation, with the nationalities of those interviewed ranging from Ireland, Brazil, Romania, Spain, China, Dominican Republic, Poland, Latvia, Colombia, Taiwan, Panama, Czech Republic, and Malaysia.
No trafficked people were detected, Gardaí said, however those interviewed were provided with information should they wish to speak to the authorities further or seek supports from the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit and the Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit.
Limerick-based migrant and refugee rights organisation Doras said it strongly welcomed any coordinated action that aims to protect victims of human trafficking and exploitation.
Donnah Vuma, coordinator of the migrant victim support unit at Doras, told the Limerick Post that “migrant women, men, and LGBTQ+ individuals can be particularly vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation”.
“Many victims remain undetected, often due to fear of authorities, language barriers, precarious immigration status, and lack of trust in the system. These vulnerabilities are further exacerbated when operations are viewed solely through a criminal justice lens rather than a trauma-informed, victim-centred approach.”
Doras also cautioned that operations like Global Chain, while necessary, need to ensure that the post-identification response does not treat victims as offenders.
It also called for victims to be provided with immediate access to safe housing, legal supports, healthcare, and protection under Ireland’s National Referral Mechanism.
Ruhama, an Irish registered charity with a regional hub in Limerick, offers nationwide support to women impacted by prostitution, sex trafficking, and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation.
A spokesperson for the charity said it was aware that “a number of potential victims of human trafficking were spoken to at the locations across Dublin, Clare, and Limerick, and that a number of females were identified as being involved in prostitution”.
Ruhama’s latest annual report, published in 2023, revealed the charity engaged with 307 victims of human trafficking based in Limerick, Dublin, and the Midlands.
The charity’s Limerick office is housed in partnership with drug and alcohol treatment centre Coolmine Therapeutic Community.
Out of the 73 service users they engaged with in 2023, 26 were victims of human trafficking.
Women impacted by commercial sexual exploitation, including those actively involved in prostitution, seeking to exit prostitution, as well as victims of sex traffic and women with no plans to exit, can contact Ruhama for support on 1800 02 02 02 or at ruhama.ie.
