Irish Minister Responds to IUNW Inquiry on Human Trafficking

The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Mr. Simon Coveney, T.D., sent  letter in response to IUNW correspondence concerning human trafficking from the fringes of Europe to the Middle East.
The Minister stated in the letter that the trafficking of women, men, girls, and boys is a grave violation of the human rights of the individuals concerned under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
He noted that Ireland supports all efforts to prevent trafficking. Countering trafficking is a priority for the EU, and the key elements of the EU’s multifaceted approach are set out in the 2017 Communication “Reporting on the follow-up to the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of trafficking in human beings and identifying further concrete actions” (COM/2017).
The letter went on as saying that EU’s approach to the problem of trafficking is comprehensive, including prevention, assistance, support and protection for victims, disrupting the criminal business model and untangling the trafficking chain and intensifying coordination within and outside the EU. Each member state contributes to the EU’s overall approach through its own domestic legislation and actions.
"While significant challenges persist, Ireland welcomes measures taken by countries in the Middle East to prevent trafficking. All of the countries of the region, bar Iran, have ratified the UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, and the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. Ireland also welcomes the enactment of domestic laws to prevent and punish trafficking, as well as the establishment of dedicated national committees to combat human trafficking and labour exploitation," the letter read.
"We believe that this approach of pragmatic cooperation is likely to prove more effective than some of the measures the petition sets out. Working both through the EU, and in a national capacity, Ireland will continue to fully support all efforts to combat trafficking," the letter concluded.
The correspendence is part of a campaign against traficking in women from Eastern Europe to the Middle East launched by the International United Nations Watch. So far, nearly two hundred legislators have signed the peitition to end traficking in women from different national parlaiments across the globe.