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20th December 2016
12:18am GMT
Plenty of us use Tinder these days. My relationship with the dating app lasted for all of 3 weekends and I'll say weekends because it involved me sitting around with my mates playing on it like it was some sort of game. But I'm not in a position to diss it too much as I've had many successful friends who have gained what they were looking for on it, short-term and long-term. And now users of the social media and dating platform are being confronted with the reality of sex trafficking through a ground breaking campaign by the Immigrant Council of Ireland, developed by digital advertising agency, eightytwenty (part of the Havas network). This is one of the first campaigns globally of this nature on Tinder.
A large number of profiles on the dating app were created to show examples of victims of sex trafficking. The profiles feature photos of girls, which with every swipe actually illustrate the impact of sex trafficking, ending with messages related to the issues they face. These profiles have so far been very well received by users who have expressed their shock about the reality of the taboo.
Cathal Gillen of eightytwenty explains:
“This is one of the first campaigns globally of this nature on Tinder. Tinder has become an extremely popular app, and it provides us with a unique, innovative and stand out way of communicating to men the issues faced by women involved in sex trafficking.”
Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of the Immigrant Council of Ireland also added:
“Sex trafficking is one of the most lucrative crimes with the sums involved on a par with those for drug smuggling and gun running, yet many people are not aware that it is a reality in communities right across Ireland."
The Immigrant Council of Ireland is committed to using every possible opportunity to increase awareness about the activities of the people behind the organised crime by penetrating the social media generation in the most effective way compared to traditional media.
Irish prostitution is run by foreign and domestic criminal gangs in a trade thought to net over €200M a year. It is important that men of all ages who buy sex are made aware of the consequences of their actions and its something this campaign highlights comprehensively. 
