T.J. Carroll, age 49, Irish citizen living in Wales. Shamiela Clark, age 32, wife of T.J. Carroll, originally from South Africa and a former prostitute. Toma Carroll, 25, Irish citizen, daughter of T.J. Carroll from previous marriage and former law student. Women and girls from many countries were brought into Ireland for purposes of sex work. Some brought in from Nigeria had been forced to participate in a voodoo ritual with a witch doctor that would supposedly curse those who tried to leave or who tried to tell the authorities of the work they were doing. Many of the women were beaten if they fell short of complying with the brothel's rules, and in some cases, their family members were actually beaten and then forced to phone the women, describing to them what had happened. Many of the women had been told they were going to Ireland for educational opportunities, but were instead forced to work 15-hour shifts in the brothels to pay back a debt that in some cases reached 60,000 euros.
Location
Ireland · Dublin, Ireland · 2008
(location generalized to protect survivors) Response & intervention
The Serious Organised Crime Agency of the UK, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland's Gardai Siochana were all involved in the investigation and raiding of the brothels. All three members of the Carroll family involved were convicted: T.J. Carroll received 7 years for Controlling Prostitution and Money Laundering, Shamiela Clark received 3.5 years for Controlling Prostitution and Money Laundering, and Toma Carroll received 2 years for Money Laundering.
The Carroll family controlled, from their home in Wales, 48 brothels throughout The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. These brothels were raided on 12/3/2008, after a year-long investigation. The original tip-off came after an officer of the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency overheard Shamiela Clark giving customers directions to the brothel.
An undisclosed number of women from Africa, Eastern Europe and South America were freed from the 48 brothels during the raids. At least 6 women are still in Ireland, with various immigration statuses.
Many of the women were taken in by Ruhama, a Dublin-based organization which works with women affected by prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation.
Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don't have a verifiable source on file yet — use “Report a problem” below to add one.