RTÉ to air short film by Limerick woman centred around people trafficking
A LIMERICK woman's new video project to air on RTÉ's Storyland draws upon her two decade long experience working with a child and family agency.
The film Every Five Miles was written by Corbally native Sinéad Collopy and is described as a powerful story about people trafficking in Ireland.
Sinéad was inspired to write the story due to her over 20 years of experience working with Tusla, where she still works full time.
"Having spent 20 years working in Child Protection Services, I’ve found an increase in trafficked minors coming into the service,” Sinéad said.
"Gardaí state that the most powerful tools at their disposal are the ears and eyes of the public. However, according to senior Garda officials, people are simply not aware that approximately every five miles in this country is a person who has been trafficked," Sinéad added.
The project was developed with Vincent Lambe, who received an Oscar nomination for his drama Detainment about the Jamie Bulger killers.
In the drama, Saoirse Kennedy, a young petrol station attendant, is drawn into the harsh world of a trafficked immigrant car washer.
The two underdogs build a bond of trust and mutual humanity, as they work side by side, but in completely different realities.
The clues that this young man is being trafficked are everywhere, but Saoirse just doesn’t pick up on them and in David’s eyes, she is his only hope, if only she opens her eyes properly and sees what’s happening.
Sinéad hopes this drama will bring the issue of people trafficking to the public’s attention and make them aware of the warning signs to look out for.
Every Five Miles airs tonight, November 3 on RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player at 9.30pm.