Strasbourg, 17/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - In a resolution adopted after last Thursday's emergency debate in Strasbourg, the European Parliament said it was horrified at the tragedy of eight human beings (four of them children) discovered dead on 8 December 2001 in Wexford (Ireland) in a container that had been loaded onto a ferry from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. Parliament believes it is necessary to step up the struggle against criminal networks (often international networks) that are involved in human trafficking and also people who take advantage of clandestine workers. This should be done by strengthening co-operation between European countries and passing deterrent sentences that do not confuse the victims with those responsible. Parliament calls on the Irish government to grant refugee status to the survivors of the Wexford tragedy to allow them to stay in Ireland, should they so desire, and help them rebuild their lives. They call for the adoption and implementation of legal instruments based on the conclusions of the Tampere European Council such as a framework decision on the trafficking of human beings, the implementation of EU common policies for asylum and immigrations rights and strengthening judicial and police cooperation.