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    Child trafficking is a human-rights violation

    Child trafficking has been documented in every country across the globe, and Ireland is no exception. Child victims of trafficking can be ‘hidden in plain sight’ within cities, towns and villages.
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    1 in 3 victims of trafficking are children

    Children are especially vulnerable to being targeted by traffickers and being trapped in exploitative situations. Children of all ages, genders and cultures can be victims of human trafficking.
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    Children can be trafficked within their own country

    Child trafficking is a growing justice and human rights issue in Ireland and yet identification of child victims of trafficking remains worryingly low.
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    Background What is Child Trafficking?
    About Us

    We advocate for child protection from trafficking

    MECPATHS is the only non-profit organisation in Ireland which works in direct partnership with the Hospitality Industry and Services Sectors to prevent Child Trafficking and to enhance existing protective measures.

    We work with Hotel Groups, Hospitality Training Colleges, Universities and Private Industries to deliver workshops, training programmes and bespoke learning materials to help Management and Staff to learn more about Child Trafficking, understand the core concepts of this Global (and Local) challenge and work with each organisation to build a suitable response and reporting protocol.

    More About Us
    We Work With

    Frontline & Emerging Professionals

    Hospitality

    Hospitality staff are amongst those professionals most likely to encounter a victim of child trafficking.

    Airline Staff

    Customer-facing employees are important sources of intelligence when they are equipped to spot trafficking.

    Security Personnel

    Have access to restricted areas; capture evidence; and are primed to notice issues around safety and criminality.

    Social Workers

    Those working with children have a fundamental role in the identification of child victims of trafficking.

    Universities

    Students across many disciplines in third level institutions can benefit from learning about the issue of child trafficking.

    Health Personnel

    Health care providers are well-positioned to identify victims of child trafficking.

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    Know It, See It, Say It. Spot the Indicators

    The signs of child abuse can be hard to spot. We can help you to recognise the signs of abuse with our breakdown of some of the most common indicators to make yourself aware of.

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    Learn More About Child Trafficking

    We have launched our online learning platform offering educational modules for professionals, indicators to look for and what to do should a suspicious situation present itself.

    E-Learning Portal
    The latest news on our work and activities

    News & Updates

    News
    Ireland Promoted From Watch-List Ranking

    Ireland was promoted from a Tier-2 Watch List ranking by The US State Department this afternoon, July 19th 202

    19 July 2022 0
    News
    Deputy Toibin on the Government’s response to the crisis in Ukraine

    Deputy Peadar Toibin addressing the risk of Adult and Child Trafficking in Ireland amidst the arrival of vulne

    1 April 2022 0
    News
    E-Learning Launch

      To coincide with World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Friday, 30th July, MECPATHS is pleased to&

    29 July 2021 0
    Testimonials

    What people
    say about
    MECPATHS

    “

    We in the hospitality industry and related education sector, therefore, have a huge responsibility in raising awareness around this issue. Training our staff on what warning signs they can be looking out for and how we can all take steps to help counteract this growing worldwide problem. MECPATHS are currently doing some incredible work on this front and have been running very effective workshops with all our first year students here in Shannon over the past year.

    Dr. Phillip J Smyth, Head of College, Shannon College of Hotel Management.
    “

    We were introduced to MECPATHS last year by the Irish Hotels Federation. We were so shocked by the statistics for human trafficking for Ireland that we felt we had to do something to try to prevent it happening. The more awareness there is of this social problem, the more progress can be made in dismantling this multi-billion criminal industry. All our team members in Ireland now know the signs that could be an indication of child sex trafficking taking place and, most importantly, they know how to report their suspicions.

    Sarah Marr, Group Human Resources Manager, PREM Group, Ireland and UK