Ireland must open eyes to child trafficking – charity
Mercy Efforts for Child Protection Against Trafficking with The Hospitality Sector (MECPATHS) have launched a research report on child trafficking by a UCC graduate who has called for Ireland to tackle the problem “head on”.
JP O’ Sullivan’s report explores the vulnerabilities Ireland’s international neighbours have experienced in relation to keeping children safe.
With valuable feedback from the hotel and hospitality sector, the report offers a number of key recommendations, including the need for organisations to work in collaboration, nationally, to counter this global, and now national, epidemic.
It also highlights the need to increase awareness of human trafficking and wider modern-day slavery, which bonds an estimated 45 million people around the world.
“Between 2009 and 2016, there were 512 victims of human trafficking identified in Ireland – 143 were children. Children are being exploited in Ireland, across the country, for sexual gratification,” said JP O’ Sullivan.
“We, as responsible adults cannot allow this to find a comfortable and steadfast home in Ireland. We cannot allow the children of Ireland to become modern-day slaves, under our noses. We quite simply have to act responsibly, recognise the problem and meet it head-on.”
Representatives from several organisations joined the launch including Kevin Hyland OBE, the UK’s former first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and CEO of ChildFund Ireland, the Department of Justice AHTU, the Garda human trafficking unit, Mary Immaculate College, Froebel College and a number of national and international NGO’s.
To find out more about the work of MECPATHS visit mecpaths.ie.
Kerry’s solution for plastic pollution
The Diocese of Kerry has taken up the challenge of plastic pollution for the Season of Creation 2018 on the theme: ‘Be part of the solution to plastic pollution’.
The season runs from September 1 to October 4, when Christian churches around the world focus on prayer and action to protect the natural world.
This year all Catholic dioceses in Ireland have been asked by their bishops to celebrate the season. This began in Kerry on September 1 with a prayer event in Tralee Town Park at 11am.
Sylvia Thompson of the diocese’s JPIC Committee said it was an “ideal opportunity for all Christian churches to come together… as we all know of the huge challenges facing our common home, that home for all creation”.
In Killarney, St Mary’s, Church of Ireland, hosted the celebration at 10.30am in its own grounds.
All parishes across the diocese have received copies of the leaflet explaining the theme with suggestions of practical actions to be taken: available at www.dioceseofkerry.ie
