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.