Ruhama records 31% rise in trafficking victims seeking help

Ruhama recorded a 31% increase in human-trafficking victims using its services in 2025, according to an Irish Times news article published Oct. 19.

The Ireland-based charity said 284 trafficking victims were engaging with it in 2025; total service users reached 1,242, up 10% from 2024, pointing to wider pressure on support services.

Ruhama supports women affected by prostitution, sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Its chief executive, Barbara Condon, said human trafficking was present “in every corner of Ireland”.

Condon said many women who had been trafficked were being placed “inappropriately” in congregated direct-provision settings. Direct provision is Ireland’s accommodation system for international protection applicants.

“Without a secure place to live, it is almost impossible for women to rebuild their lives,” Condon said. She called for “safe, appropriate and specialist accommodation” and said current housing arrangements should be “addressed as a priority”.

The Irish Times article did not include a response from the Irish government or the International Protection Accommodation Service. Ruhama said accommodation problems included transfer requests, homelessness, unsuitable housing and the wider housing crisis.

The charity’s data identified Nigerian women as the largest group among women affected by prostitution and human trafficking that it was supporting. Ruhama said 177 Nigerian women were among known human-trafficking victims in Ireland, followed by prostitution victims from Zimbabwe at 50 and Ireland at 46.

Ruhama also said its case workers recorded a 77% increase in victims seeking suicide-prevention assistance. The charity facilitated nearly 1,200 appointments with trauma therapists in 2025 and helped 190 service users begin education courses.

The charity said immigration decisions affecting the right to work had made women “more vulnerable to sexual exploitation” and had affected their mental health. It cited limited part-time courses and a more difficult housing environment for migrants as further barriers.

The figures are based on people engaging with one charity, not an official national count of trafficking victims. Ruhama also trains people working in the Irish immigration system to identify victims of human trafficking.

Source: news article, The Irish Times, Oct. 19