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Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024
Number 28 of 2024
CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING) ACT 2024
REVISED
Updated to 10 August 2026
This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.
All Acts up to and including the Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Act 2026 (36/2026), enacted 23 July 2026, and all statutory instruments up to and including the European Union (Restrictive Measures concerning Libya) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 (S.I. No. 432 of 2026), made 10 August 2026, were considered in the preparation of this Revised Act.
Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to revisedacts@lawreform.ie.
Number 28 of 2024
CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING) ACT 2024
REVISED
Updated to 10 August 2026
CONTENTS
Preliminary and General
Section
1. Short title and commencement
Sexual Offences
Definition (Part 2)
Amendment of Act of 1981
6. Amendment of section 1 of Act of 1981
7. Amendment of section 4A of Act of 1981
8. Amendment of section 5 of Act of 1981
9. Amendment of section 6 of Act of 1981
10. Amendment of section 7 of Act of 1981
11. Amendment of section 8 of Act of 1981
12. Amendment of section 9 of Act of 1981
Vouching of character of convicted persons in trials for certain sexual offences (Repealed)
13. Definitions (Chapter 3 of Part 2) (Repealed)
14. Vouching of character of convicted persons in trials for certain sexual offences (Repealed)
Amendments to other Acts of Oireachtas relating to sexual offences
15. Amendment of Sexual Offences (Jurisdiction) Act 1996
16. Amendment of section 6 of Act of 2006
17. Amendment of Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2007
Repeals and application of repeals
19. Retrospective application of repeals
National Referral Mechanism
Interpretation (Part 3)
Trusted Partners and Operational Committee
23. Functions of operational committee
24. Meetings and procedures of operational committee
Preliminary identification stage and conclusive identification stage
25. Criteria for identification as victim of human trafficking
26. Presumption of age of child applicant
27. Application for identification as victim of human trafficking
28. Referral or refusal by competent authority or trusted partner of application
29. Reconsideration, grant or refusal by operational committee of application
Entry to National Referral Mechanism
31. Effect of referrals, grants and refusals and entry to National Referral Mechanism
32. Presumed victim of human trafficking and identified victim of human trafficking and services
Appeals
33. Appeal from decision of operational committee
Miscellaneous
35. Prohibition on deportation of certain persons
36. Amendment of Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008
AMENDMENT OF DEFENCE ACT 1954
38. Amendment of section 169 of Act of 1954
39. Amendment of section 192 of Act of 1954
Miscellaneous
40. Amendment of Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act 2008
Text of Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, done at New York on 25 May 2000
Acts Referred to
Broadcasting Act 2009 (No. 18)
Charities Act 2009 (No. 6)
Child and Family Agency Act 2013 (No. 40)
Child Care Acts 1991 to 2022
Children Act 2001 (No. 24)
Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 (No. 32)
Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012 (No. 11)
Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act 2008 (No. 7)
Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 2011 (No. 5)
Criminal Justice (Safety of United Nations Workers) Act 2000 (No. 16)
Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 (No. 2)
Criminal Justice (United Nations Convention Against Torture) Act 2000 (No. 11)
Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 (No. 8)
Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990 (No. 32)
Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1981 (No. 10)
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2007 (No. 6)
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 (No. 20)
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006 (No. 15)
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 (No. 2)
Criminal Law Act 1997 (No. 14)
Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1960 (No. 44)
Defence (Amendment) Act 2006 (No. 20)
Defence Act 1954 (No. 18)
Geneva Conventions Act 1962 (No. 11)
Guardianship of Children Acts 1964 to 1997
Health Acts 1947 to 2022
Immigration Act 1999 (No. 22)
International Criminal Court Act 2006 (No. 30)
International Protection Act 2015 (No. 66)
Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 (No. 65)
Sex Offenders Act 2001 (No. 18)
Number 28 of 2024
CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING) ACT 2024
REVISED
Updated to 10 August 2026
An Act to amend the procedures applicable in proceedings for certain sexual offences including in relation to the adducing of evidence, the asking of questions, the exclusion of the public, the announcement of a verdict or decision and sentence and the anonymity of complainants and accused persons; for those and other purposes to amend the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1981 and certain other enactments; to repeal certain provisions of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006 and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017; to provide for the retrospective application of certain of these repeals in certain circumstances; to provide for a mechanism for the identification of victims and presumed victims of human trafficking and the combatting of the trafficking of persons, to provide for the support of provision of assistance to such persons and, for those purposes, to provide for the establishment of a body to be known as the operational committee and to provide for its functions; to provide for the protection from deportation of certain persons; to amend the Defence Act 1954; to amend the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008; to give effect to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, done at New York on 25 May 2000, and for that purpose to amend the Sexual Offences (Jurisdiction) Act 1996 and the Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act 2008; and to provide for related matters.
[17th July, 2024]
Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows: