Trafficking in Northern Ireland

What is human trafficking?

Photo of a women featured on the leaflet about the 'Tackling the Trafficking of Women and Children' conference

Human trafficking violates a number of human rights, including

  • freedom from slavery
  • freedom of movement
  • freedom from discrimination
  • rights to employment and equal pay - plus more.

Trafficking can include (but is not limited to)

  • the movement of women and children within or between countries for forced prostitution or other sexual activity
  • forced or bonded labour of migrants in the construction, catering, agriculture or hospitality sectors of developed countries such as UK and Ireland
  • exploitation of children in fraud or other criminal activity.

Human trafficking in Northern Ireland

We've been working closely with the Department of Justice to address the growing problem of trafficking in Northern Ireland.

We hold an advisory and secretariat role for the All Party Group on Human Trafficking (APGHT) for Northern Ireland. The group was established in February 2012, following unanimous cross-party support for its creation at a Stormont Assembly debate on 7 February 2012. The group aims to address the problem of human trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation in Northern Ireland, and make sure that sufficient protection is provided to the victims of trafficking.

Europe-wide standards

We are a member of the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG), set up in 2009 to measure the UK Government's compliance with a Europe-wide initiative on human trafficking (the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings).

In June 2011, the Group published an analysis of UK measures to protect trafficked persons: Wrong Kind of Victim? A section of this report was devoted to an examination of the situation in Northern Ireland and recommendations for the Executive.

Download reports:

Upcoming reports

We will launch a report on the nature and extent of human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Northern Ireland, in early 2013. Check back for updates.

If you'd like to know more about our work on human trafficking in Northern Ireland, please email our Campaigner, Grainne Teggart.