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Solutions for the prevention and fight against human trafficking

Press Release

March 2, 2006

Bucharest

Solutions for the prevention and fight against human trafficking

On March 2nd, 2006, there was the launch of the Report on the Evaluation of Anti-trafficking policies in Romania. The Study was carried out by IMAS – the Institute for Marketing and Polls, at the request of the Interministerial Working Group for the coordination and assessment of the activities to prevent and combat trafficking of human beings, with financial and technical support from UNICEF Romania.

The evolution of the socio-economic context of Romania in the ’90s favored the social gap and, consequently, the emergence of a population group vulnerable to traffic. The geographic closeness to the conflict areas in the former Yugoslavian countries led, at the end of the ’90s to a higher incidence of the phenomenon in Romania. To combat the human sale and exploitation, the Romanian Government designed a general frame of action, meant to be implemented by central and local authorities together with the representatives of the civil society.

The study assesses the manner in which the Romanian State and the civil society took action for the prevention and combat of human trafficking and for the protection of its victims, between 2001 – 2004. The research includes an analysis of the legislative and institutional frame, an evaluation of the combat and prevention policies, as well as an outline of the society’s perception of migration and human traffic. Also, the study identifies the progress made in time and points out to the changes needed for the improvement of the system.

The most common factors favoring migration and, consequently, the exposure to risks are in relation either with social or with state institutions. Among them, there are: the family and the communication among its members; the problems of the local community – the employment issue in general, but especially the problem of jobs for young people; the lack of trust in the state institutions; the tendency to breech certain legal rules in the case of emigration or the lack of awareness regarding the risks of emigration.

The research took place in state institutions and civil society organizations and points out the problems identified by those who manage, implement or finance the combat and prevention policies. The most frequent flaws refer to terminology (especially regarding the legal definition of the “victim”), cross-sectoral cooperation at all levels, the mechanism of victim referral to the system ensuring their assistance, the design of the cooperation frame for authorities and civil society and the change of mentalities and social perceptions.

”The dramatic increase of the number of child victims led to the great involvement of UNICEF in this are. In the past two years, we tried to improve the manner in which the phenomenon is approached, at the level of both policies and services. We are in close cooperation with the decision makers at central level for the development of policies and strategies on human traffic combat, as well as with non-governmental organizations and institutions that apply these strategies. Moreover, we encourage and promote the cooperation between these institutions and organizations as a solution for the improvement of the national strategy in the field,” declared Mr. Pierre Poupard, UNICEF Romania Representative, present at the launch.

The analysis of the relations involved in the implementation of the human trafficking combat and prevention policies and of those of victim assistance is a very good working tool and will be used as ground for the development of the Strategy of the Romanian Government for human trafficking combat for the period 2006 – 2010.

Contact person:Codruţa Hedeşiu, Communication Officer, UNICEF Romania, phone: (021)201.78.64, e-mail chedesiu@unicef.org.

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