MECPATHS is a non-profit organisation which focuses specifically on the issue of Child Trafficking, in Ireland. It advocates for child safeguarding from trafficking through collaborative action, awareness raising and education. It does so by facilitating workshops for frontline and emerging professionals across many disciplines including Social Work, Healthcare, Education and Hospitality.
MECPATHS works with individuals and organisations most likely to encounter a victim of Child Trafficking. Training programmes are designed to help individuals understand what Child Trafficking is within both the global and Irish contexts. Through participatory workshops, participants learn about the different types of Child Trafficking and associated indicators to support enhanced victim identification.
Hospitality staff are amongst those professionals most likely to encounter a victim of child trafficking.
Youth and Community Workers are suitably poised to identify at-risk children within their communities.
Security Personnel have access to restricted areas and are primed to notice issues around criminality.
Those working with children have a fundamental role in the identification of child victims of trafficking.
Students studying across many disciplines can benefit from education around child trafficking.
Healthcare providers such as GP's and ED Staff are well-positioned to identify victims of child trafficking.
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.
Watch this video to learn more about Child Trafficking within the Global and Irish contexts. Learn about what indicators to look out for and how to report concerns. Know it. See it. Say it.
MECPATHS has been working with Tusla since 2022 to help raise awareness around Child Trafficking amongst their
MECPATHS & Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education, Maynooth University formally laun
August 2023: Education Manager, Ann Mara and Network & Communications Manager, J.P. O’Sullivan chat with
Victims of human trafficking have been lost in an endless abyss of silence with their voices echoing in the darkness. MECPATHS has risen up and become a beacon of light and hope for the lost and forgotten of this world. They continue to spread education and awareness around the world so that not one more child suffers as I have as a victim of child sex trafficking. MECPATHS is truly an ambassador for us all.
Tusla is pleased to partner with MECPATHS in a coordinated effort to raise awareness and provide training to our frontline professional staff, including those in the community and voluntary services we fund, who work to protect children in communities across the country. Regular training and development are crucial to ensure that our practice meets the evolving needs of the children we work with.
We were introduced to MECPATHS 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.
We are very fortunate to have MECPATHS contributing to social work programmes in UCC since 2019. The training provided by MECPATHS is invaluable, it informs our student cohort on the components of Child and Adult Trafficking and its prevalence. On completion of the training, students are better equipped to recognise and respond to Human and Child trafficking in their social work practice.
MECPATHS provided an eye-opening session presented in an open and inclusive manner where all questions were welcomed. They presented incredibly difficult and dark subject matter in such a way that it encouraged discussion from the group. Having attended this session, I can say that I'm now more aware than ever of the definition of trafficking, its many forms and how it is a problem that occurs on home soil much more often than I was expecting. I think it should be mandatory training for everybody in a position to spot victims of trafficking.
In an emergency always call 999 or 112 or your local Garda Station
You can report anonymously by calling the Garda Confidential Hotline 1800 666 111
You can report anonymously by emailing blueblinfold
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