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Irish health care professionals are not able to identify sex trafficking victims

A study has found that there are no Irish guidelines to assist health care professionals.

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS are not aware of the occurrence of sex trafficking nor have they been trained to identify victims.

That’s according to a study ‘Sex Trafficking in Ireland from a Health Care Perspective’ in the October edition of the Irish Medical Journal.

It found that sex trafficking within Ireland is a hidden phenomenon and that there are no Irish guidelines or referral pathways to assist health care professionals.

It stated that, “Educating healthcare providers to identify, assess, and intervene appropriately on behalf of sex-trafficked victims is critical to provision of a comprehensive anti-human trafficking response, and has not been done in this country to date.”

It advised that an awareness of common physical and psychological health problems associated with sex trafficking by health care professionals may increase victim detection rates.

Sex trafficking victims

Sexual exploitation is the most common form of human trafficking with 70% of cases reported to authorities.

The majority of victims are women from Eastern Europe, Nigeria, other parts of Africa, South America and Asia.

Sex trafficking victims usually have poor access to healthcare and in many cases may only present when their medical situation becomes severe or life threatening.

One study found that 28% of victims had access to a healthcare provider while still in captivity yet the fact that they had been trafficked went undetected. The study says this shows the potential opportunity for intervention by health care professionals.

Barriers

Estimating the prevalence of sex trafficking is extremely difficult due its criminal nature and its overlap with the related activities of prostitution and illegal immigration.

Also the extreme fear of the victim makes disclosure unlikely. There are many barriers that prevent victims from reporting the crime to health care professionals such as threats to the victims’ family, fear of traffickers, distrust of authority due to past experiences and lack of information on their rights and supports.

The authors of the study state that “If health care professionals are aware of these barriers, they can ensure that these victims are informed of all the relevant referral pathways and support services in place in Ireland which enable them to make an informed decision.

The under-detection of victims of sex-trafficking is a real issue in Ireland and an awareness raising and comprehensive training exercise should be implemented for health care professionals.

“The referral guideline presented here could be distributed widely to health care professionals within Ireland to enable them to respond and refer appropriately.”

Read: Sex trafficking victims ‘in danger of abuse in Direct Provision’>

Read: Gardaí believe sex traffickers use voodoo rituals on their victims>

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    Mute Rear Admiral
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 5:29 PM

    I’ll be sending back that “Huberman’s Haemerrhoid Cream” so

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    Mute Bazzle Bush
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 5:36 PM

    @Rear Admiral: No! That ones legit!

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    Mute iohanx
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 5:37 PM

    @Rear Admiral: does it work?

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    Mute Shelly Levine
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 5:49 PM

    @iohanx: I’m squeaky clean. Thanks Amy!

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    Mute Declan Tooher
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 6:37 PM

    Unfortunately, this is not the first scam she has been involved in. All those awful tv shows that demand you to pay a licence fee spring to mind.

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    Mute MarkS
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 6:31 PM

    Nice to see she is branching out from the weekly Irish independent mouthpiece articles that nobody cares about.

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    Mute chinaski
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    Aug 23rd 2018, 1:41 AM

    @MarkS: You beat me to it. What is it with the indos obsession with her and him?

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    Mute David Quigley
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    Aug 23rd 2018, 6:35 AM

    @chinaski: The indo is a celebrity rag masquerading as a broadsheet

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    Mute Seriously stunned
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    Aug 23rd 2018, 9:00 AM

    @David Quigley: yea we love the journal.ie woo hoooo

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    Mute MarkS
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    Aug 23rd 2018, 9:30 AM

    @chinaski: she’s on some kind of weekly nonsense rotation with Vogue William’s, Amanda Brunker & Roz Purcell. Twink lost her place in the rotation last year unfortunately.

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    Mute Brian McDonnell
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 5:36 PM

    Beauty cream warns users to beware of the sham that is…….

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    Mute Tyler Williams
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 6:12 PM

    I’m not from these parts so I have absolutely no idea who she is. What is IFTA?

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    Mute TellingItAsItIs
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 6:32 PM

    @Tyler Williams: She’s a very popular average actress and also wife to a famous ex rugby player called Brian O’Driscoll. She’s also pretty and could sell ice cream to the Eskimos.

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    Mute David Grey
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 11:47 PM

    Tyler . Google

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    Mute Margate
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    Aug 23rd 2018, 12:34 AM

    @TellingItAsItIs: Very popular? Eh? Not with that many…she wings her way simply based on looks, fame, hubby etc, otherwise limited..

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    Mute Rhona Byrne
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    Aug 23rd 2018, 8:20 AM

    @Tyler Williams: Irish Film and Television Awards

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    Mute TellingItAsItIs
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    Aug 24th 2018, 5:52 PM

    @Margate: she’s also popular because she’s a very nice lady

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    Mute Tony Maguire
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 7:06 PM

    Ya can’t beat a bit of free advertising!!!

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    Mute James O'Brien
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 11:53 PM

    This is product of RTE. Labeling people as influencers. Vogue Williams will be next or Brunker

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    Mute Jaci Black
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 10:02 PM

    Stay away from the sun and eat healthily. Water is not your enemy.

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    Mute Maggie O'Sullivan
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 10:04 PM

    Total waste of money. Margarine does the same job as any of these expensive creams.

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 9:48 PM

    Don’t waste your money on any of them, soap & water then some E45 cream ( 400 ml ) for under €10

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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Aug 23rd 2018, 9:31 AM

    She has fans?

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    Mute Derek Walsh Ⓥ
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 8:41 PM

    What sort of idiot would be fooled by “anti-aging cream?”

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    Mute Ann Basquille Smith
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    Aug 22nd 2018, 11:49 PM

    Who are accepting these adverts

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