Ballina to host seminar on crime of human trafficking
Victims are often lured with false promises and subjected to abuse, violence, and inhumane conditions
A powerful evening of awareness and education on the crime of human trafficking will take place in Mayo on Monday, May 12, at 7.30pm.
The event is being held in the Grand National Hotel, Ballina, as part of the Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland (SIROI) National Project.
Co-hosted by the Ballina and Castlebar Soroptimist clubs, this special event – titled ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ – is part of a two-year national campaign to shine a light on one of the world’s fastest-growing and most hidden crimes.
The evening will feature a compelling panel of expert speakers including Detective Garda Niall Stack and Detective Karen Coghlan, who bravely shared her experience in RTÉ’s , which focused on Ireland’s first criminal conviction for human trafficking.
Other panel members will include speakers from the Garda National Human Trafficking Investigation and Co-ordination Unit and special guest Dara Calleary TD, Minister for Social Protection and Rural, Community Development and the Gaeltacht.
The event will explore the reality of trafficking in Ireland, how victims are identified and supported, and how the public can play a role in recognising the signs. From coercion to forced labour and sexual exploitation, human trafficking affects tens of millions of people globally – yet many victims remain hidden in plain sight.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), human trafficking is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. Victims are often lured with false promises and subjected to abuse, violence, and inhumane conditions. The UN stresses that awareness and education are vital tools in preventing trafficking and supporting survivors.
This Ballina event is free of charge and open to all members of the public.
Soroptimist International’s mission is to educate, empower and enable women and girls worldwide, and its ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ project is a direct response to this, aiming to give voice to the voiceless and bring this hidden issue to light in communities across Ireland.
