ONE OF the five foreign women who were found by gardaí in a series of raids on suspected brothels across the State last week has left the country, while two others are due to depart in the coming days.
It is understood the three women had asked to leave the State and this was facilitated by the authorities. A Garda spokesman said officers were "satisfied as to the health and safety of all the women" and that none of them were in State care last night. Two were being housed by a charitable group.
The women were discovered on Wednesday during Garda raids on properties allegedly in use by an organised crime gang suspected of bringing women from Africa, South America and eastern Europe into Ireland to work in prostitution. None of the women were arrested. It is thought at least some of the women travelled to Ireland willingly, but Ruhama, a support group, said that under trafficking law consent is irrelevant once exploitation can be proven.
Under protection measures introduced in June, anyone from outside the European Economic Area who is suspected of having been trafficked here can be given a 60-day "recovery and reflection" period during which they will not face deportation. The measure was used for the first time on Thursday, in an unconnected case of a woman discovered in a suspected brothel three weeks ago.
Ruhama expressed concern last night that women were being helped to leave the State just days after being found in brothels. "The fact is that women are new to the country . . . and don't know the system," said spokeswoman Gerardine Rowley. "It needs to be explained what their options are . . . and there needs to be a look at support services in their home country."
Commenting on the regime for protecting those trafficked here, Fine Gael's Denis Naughten criticised the Government for failing to specify what support services would be available to suspected victims and said this should be remedied by amending the Immigration Bill.
Seven who were arrested in the Republic during the operation, as well as a woman held in Newry, have been released without charge. Two others were still being questioned by the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency in Wales last night.