There is no political will in Ireland to smash the sex trafficking industry, it was claimed tonight.
The Ruhama Project, which offers services to women in the sex industry, said victims were afraid to seek help because of the social stigma attached to prostitution and the lack of protective legislation in the area.
The Oireachtas Justice Committee today heard the Project was inundated with public support after a Prime Time programme on the issue earlier this month.
Ruhama spokesperson Geraldine Rowley said: "There is no doubt there is a denial in Ireland and the proof is we have no legislation. That in itself says something."
She added: "Even if we only had one woman involved in this in Ireland, one woman would be too much."
Ruhama said sex trafficking perpetrators were difficult to detect because they operated so covertly. "It is not like street prostitution where women are seen," Ms Rowley told the all-party Committee.
Ruhama, which means 'mercy' in Hebrew, said its service was inundated with calls since a Prime Time Investigates programme exposed the trade earlier this month.
The programme claimed that Ireland was two years behind the rest of the EU in legislation on human trafficking.
"We never have had such a response on this scale from people all over Ireland," Ms Rowley said.
"People were shocked and angry it was happening in their country and we didn't have legislation."
The Department of Justice has claimed that legislation on human trafficking was due to come before the Dail later this year.