By Chinedu Onyejelem

The Minister for Justice has urged the public to help fight human trafficking in Ireland by reporting suspects to the authorities.

Minister Charlie Flanagan made the call at the launch of a newly overhauled website for the Blue Blindfold campaign, which highlights human trafficking crimes.

The website also informs how members of the public can spot and report the signs of trafficking, and details different supports available to victims once they have been identified.

“A key element in the fight against human trafficking is an informed society, who are aware that exploitation, tantamount to slavery, continues to happen today in Ireland,” said Minister Flanagan. “Our revamped Blue Blindfold website seeks to further educate the public on what human trafficking is and how it occurs in Ireland.”

The minister put in stark terms that human trafficking is driven by supply and demand, and often hidden in plain sight.

“Public demand for cheap labour and sexual services creates the space in which criminal gangs thrive. Such gangs use deception to force vulnerable people into prostitution and, increasingly, into everyday employment sectors such as pop-up car washes, nail salons, domestic households and the agri-food sector. It is in these areas that the public may unwittingly encounter a victim of human trafficking.”

The new Blue Blindfold website is intended “to better inform the public on how to identify the signs of potential trafficking and how to report these concerns to An Garda Síochána,” Minister Flanagan added.

“Every year gardaí depend on information from the public who are in a unique position to provide vital intelligence for both victim identification and criminal investigation.

Don’t close your eyes to human trafficking, visit our website and see how you can help us eradicate this crime in Ireland.”

The revamped Blue Blindfold website is available at http://blueblindfold.gov.ie.