Fr Shay Cullen’s novel ‘Ricky and Julie – a story of courage and survival in the Philippines’ is about the lives of street children targeted and hunted by the deadly Davao Death Squad.

“There needs to be a consistent approach that supports those in prostitution and where we see pimps and other exploiters being prosecuted, not the women,” Ruhama said.

"Remember you too were treated harshly abroad, building London’s underground, the mines of Yorkshire, in the docks of Boston or in the new cities of Sydney and Perth."

2015 was the second busiest year since the Immigrant Council of Ireland started work in this area a decade ago.