Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998

The purpose of the Act is to strengthen the legislative measures aimed to protect children under 17 years old from sexual exploitation through child trafficking and child pornography. The Act makes it an offence, punishable by up to life imprisonment, to organise or knowingly facilitate child trafficking, i.e. the entry into, transit through or exit from the State of a child for the purpose of his or her sexual exploitation. The detention of a child for such purposes is also made an offence punishable by up to ten years imprisonment. The Act does not extend to child trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation. To date more prosecutions have been brought under the Act in relation to pornography than in relation to trafficking.