The Government is being urged to bring in legislation banning forced labour.
The Migrant Rights Centre in Ireland says it has dealt with 160 cases of forced labour over the past few years, but the organisation believes this figure is just the tip of the iceberg.
Forced Labour involves the extreme exploitation of workers, often through threats, withholding of wages and withholding of identity documents.
The Migrant Rights Centre says this happens in a range of different sectors, and is becoming more widespread because of the economic situation.
The organisation staged a protest outside the Dáil this afternoon, calling on Minister for Justice Alan Shatter to prioritise the issue.
