VZCZCXRO0272
PP RUEHBW
DE RUEHBM #0183/01 0701322
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101322Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8010
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 0655
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS PRIORITY 1065
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY 0014
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0299
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 4120
RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST PRIORITY 1283
RUEHCH/AMEMBASSY CHISINAU PRIORITY 1320
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN PRIORITY 0667
RUEHDL/AMEMBASSY DUBLIN PRIORITY 0102
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RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA PRIORITY 0382
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0321
RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE PRIORITY 8578
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0927
RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE PRIORITY 0676
RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA PRIORITY 4977
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 1102
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA PRIORITY 2077
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
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RHMFIUU/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 14 BUCHAREST 000183
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI
DEPT FOR EUR/NCE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PGOV PHUM PREF PREL
RO, SMIG, SOCI
SUBJECT: ROMANIA'S EIGHTH ANNUAL ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN
PERSONS REPORT
REF: STATE 00002731
Embassy Bucharest's submission for the annual Trafficking in
Persons
report follows below with answers keyed to reftel.
1. (SBU) OVERVIEW:
-------------------
A. Romania is a country of origin and transit for
trafficking in persons (TIP). While the majority of TIP
cases pertain to international trafficking between Romania
and Western Europe, there are cases of domestic trafficking
as well. Victims ) primarily women and children - are
trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation, labor
exploitation and forced mendicancy. The total number of
victims identified by the Government of Romania (GOR) in 2007
was 1662, compared to 2285 identified victims in 2006.
Out of the 1662 identified victims, 751 were male, 911 were
female and 274 were minors. The types of exploitation were as
follows: 680 - sexual exploitation; 780 labor exploitation
(532-agriculture; 219-construction; 29 - hotel industry); 139
begging; 63 other forms. There has been a rise in labor
trafficking compared to the previous year and this is likely
related to Romania's entrance into the EU and new
opportunities for Romanians from the rural parts of the
country to travel and to work abroad who are being exploited.
It is also possible that these figures may also reflect the
fact that because Romanians are now European citizens and can
travel to other European destinations freely, they are more
likely to report cases of forced labor than in the past, when
they were less likely to report cases of labor exploitation
because of their lack of proper documentation and their
illegal status.
The primary destination countries for trafficking victims
were: Italy - 445; Spain- 406; Czech Republic- 215; Romania-
201; Greece-169; Germany- 83; France- 27; Netherlands- 18;
Turkey-
11; Other destinations- 87. The numbers for Italy and Spain
reflect the large numbers of Romanian citizens who seek out
low-wage work in these two countries. As for the Czech
Republic, there were numerous groups of Romanians trafficked
for jobs in construction and agriculture. In some of these
cases, the trafficking was committed by Ukrainian citizens
and, due to the good cooperation between the Czech and
Romanian authorities, many of these cases came under
investigation.
In 2007, 12.09% of the identified TIP victims were victims of
internal trafficking. The percentage of victims trafficked
internally remained roughly the same as in 2006.
In 2007, the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
assisted 107 victims. IOM figures indicate that the average
age of the victims they assisted was 23-24 years old;
approximately 12% of the victims they assisted were minors
(under the age of 18). Of the 107 victims assisted by IOM,
33 were repatriated from Italy, 17 were repatriated from
Greece, 15 were repatriated from Spain and 13 were victims of
BUCHAREST 00000183 002 OF 014
internal trafficking. In previous years, Bosnia-Herzegovina
and the Republic of Macedonia were the destination countries
for a high number of victims, but that number has been
reduced significantly in recent years. The increase in
trafficking victims destined for Italy, Greece and Spain
parallels the increase in overall migration of young
Romanians who travel to these countries for low-wage jobs.
B. The profile of traffickers is broad and varied. In some
cases traffickers belong to internationally organized groups,
which also specialize in other crimes such as the smuggling
of drugs, guns,etc.; however in the majority of cases,
traffickers appear to comprise small groups with loose
structures, including family members or other individuals who
are often known to the victims. Some victims may at some
point become traffickers themselves, particularly as
recruiters, as they see no other opportunities before them.
The number of victims identified by the GOR likely does not
reflect the total number of victims of TIP-related crimes.
Many victims are reluctant to identify themselves, primarily
because of the social stigma associated with TIP activities.
There is also a general distrust among TIP victims of
government officials and their readiness to assist them.
Many victims either seek no assistance or prefer to take
advantage of other options rather than accept government
assistance.
A National Interest Program for victim assistance was created
by the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons
(NAATIP) in the last quarter of 2006. This program, the
first of its kind in the Ministry of Interior and
Administrative Reform, made approximately 160,000 USD
available to NGOs in the form of grants. The funds were made
available late in 2007 and the administration of the funds
was a complex endeavor. For this reason, only three NGOs had
their grants approved, for a total of approximately 72,000
USD distributed. The NGOs were: Ad Pare 48,000, AFIV
Artemis- 8,800 USD and ANMRF Louis Pasteur Dej-23,000 USD. In
2007, governmental support for NGOs became more consistent.
C. NAATIP is the governmental agency that leads the efforts
of all other agencies involved in anti-trafficking. The
director of NAATIP is the chairman of the Inter-ministerial
Working Group (IWG) on Human Trafficking. Other government
agencies involved in anti-TIP activities include: the
Ministry of Administration and Interior (MAI), the General
Inspectorate of Border Police(GIBP), the General Prosecutor
Office (GPO), the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), the Ministry of
Labor and Social Solidarity (MLSS), the Ministry of Education
and Research (MER), the Ministry of Health (MOH), the
Ministry of Finance (MOF), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Human Rights Department), the National Authority for Child
Protection (NACP), the Ministry of Public Administration
(MPA), the Ministry of European Integration, the National
Office for Refugees, the Ministry of Culture and Religion,
the National Audio-Visual Council, the National Authority for
the Labor Force, the Ministry of Youth, the Agency for
Student Camps and Tourism and the National Authority for
Child Protection and Adoptions. All of these agencies are
members of the IWG.
BUCHAREST 00000183 003 OF 014
D. In 2007, funding was increased in order to provide
personnelresponsible for combating trafficking in persons,
and there are no serious monetary impediments for the GOR to
combat TIP on all levels. Since Romania accession into the
European Union there has been a serious focus on addressing
corruption and providing better funding for law enforcement
personnel and prosecutors. These plans remain works in
progress, however, and although improvements have been made,
more work is necessary to enable Romania to reach the
standards of the more established members of the European
Union. The vast majority of victims identified by the GOR
held Romanian citizenship and were eligible for the same
social services as any other Romanian citizen. By U.S. and
Western European standards, some of these social services -
particularly health services ) were lacking, but this is
part of a larger social issue that affects TIP victims in a
similar manner as it does the majority of Romanian citizens.
There are still serious cultural taboos to being identified
as a TIP victim, especially young women who were forced into
prostitution. Due to these taboos, victims often remain
silent about what crimes were committed against them and this
makes the identification of the total number of trafficking
victims a difficult task.
E. The GOR monitors anti-trafficking efforts through the
NAATIP and in 2007 has improved its ability to gather
statistics regarding TIP victims and prosecutions of TIP
offenders. This has been done through the advancement of a
TIP National Database (nominated below as a "Tip Best
Practice")that has been instrumental in tracking countrywide
trends in trafficking, and serving as a way to ensure that no
victims fell into the "cracks" of the system. The General
Prosecutors Office and Ministry of Justice were responsible
for providing the number of prosecuted and trialed TIP cases,
including the number of arrested and convicted persons. The
GOR has been very forthcoming in sharing these statistics
with NGOs, other governments and international organizations.
Twice a year the GOR provides a public update on progress
regarding TIP issues; foreign government representatives,
international organizations, NGOs and all relevant GOR
institutions were invited to participate.
2. (SBU) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS:
--------------------------------------------- ----------
A. Law no. 678/2001 specifically prohibits trafficking and
seeks to protect and assist trafficked victims. Article 2 of
the law specifically covers both trafficking for sexual
exploitation and trafficking for non-sexual purposes (e.g.
forced labor). Moreover, the law sets forth prosecution
measures and punishments for traffickers. Law no. 39/2003
for Combating Organized Crime specifically defines TIP as a
serious crime, and includes TIP offenses. Article 2 of the
law defines an organized criminal group as: "a structured
group formed of three or more persons that exist for a period
of time and acts in a coordinated manner for the purpose of
committing one or more grave offenses, in order to obtain
directly or indirectly a financial benefit or other material
benefit." The GOR also uses other laws in the prosecution of
BUCHAREST 00000183 004 OF 014
trafficking cases, especially laws prohibiting pimping. All
of these laws taken together cover the full scope of
trafficking offenses.
TIP victims have the right to seek a civil remedy, and this
can occur simultaneously with the criminal proceeding, at the
conclusion of the criminal proceeding or completely separate
from the criminal case.
The following are pieces of legislation were added in 2007 to
bolster existing TIP legislation: 1) Government Decision
1238/2007, which approved specific National Standards for
specialized assistance services for trafficking victims and
ensured a minimum of individualized services which were
dependent on each specific case; 2) Draft of NAATIP President
Decision 1/2007, to approve the National Interest Program to
improve assistance provided to victims and support NGOs with
non-reimbursable funds; 3) Joint Order of ministers and
agency presidents to set up, organize and bring into
operation the Thematic Working Group to nationally coordinate
activities for the protection of victims of trafficking,
published in the Official Journal no. 799/2007.
B. Violations of Article 12 of Law no. 678/2001 carry
sentences of three to 12 years and raise the sentence to five
to 15 years for aggravating circumstances. The sentence
provided in Article 13 paragraph 1 is from five to 15 years
if the victims are below the age of 18. The same article
carries terms of seven to 18 years in case of trafficking of
minors under certain aggravating characteristics, such as
kidnapping while armed, by a group of persons, or causing
bodily injury. If the kidnapping results in the death or
suicide of the victim, the sentence goes from 15 to 25 years.
Law 678/2001 defines trafficking in two articles (12 and 13)
and several paragraphs that interact to provide a complex set
of sentences ranging from three years (at a minimum) to 25
(at a maximum). The sentence is dependent on factors such
as: number of perpetrators, age of the victim, and severity
of damage caused to the victim, kidnapping or fraud, and if
violence or threats were used.
C. The same penalties awarded in sexual exploitation cases
are also applied for labor trafficking offenses, to include
recruiters.
D. Article 197, which covers rape, carries a sentence of
three to 10 years, with the penalty raised to five to 15
years if the act involves any of the following: two or more
participants; is
conducted by the guardian of the rape victim; or if severe
injuries result. The penalties rise to 10 to 20 years if the
victim is under 14. If the victim dies or commits suicide,
the sentence increases to 15 to 25 years. These penalties
overall are comparable to penalties for sex trafficking, as
sentences for both range from three to 25 years.
E. In Romania, all prostitution activities are criminalized,
to include the activities of brothel owners and pimps.
However, there is no law to punish the client, with the
exception that if the prostitute was a minor and the client
admitted knowing that fact before the act, the client can be
BUCHAREST 00000183 005 OF 014
prosecuted for sexual acts with a minor.
F. Between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007, the courts
rendered final convictions against 188 persons for committing
the offence of trafficking in persons. Out of these:
- 1 person was sentenced to 6-12 months imprisonment;
- 76 persons were sentenced to 1-5 years imprisonment;
- 66 persons were sentenced to 5-10 years imprisonment;
- 1 person was sentenced to 10-15 years imprisonment;
- 17 (1 being a minor) persons were sentenced to a penalty
for which the sentence was conditionally suspended;
- 26 (1 being a minor) persons were sentenced to a penalty
for which the sentence was suspended under observation;
- 1 person was sentenced to a penalty for which the
court pronounced the sentence at the working place.
Under the Romanian Penal Code, an individual serving prison
time for a TIP offense can be released early from prison if
two thirds of the sentence has been served and the individual
has demonstrated significant moral rehabilitation. The
Romanian legal system does not provide for plea bargains or
fines - only imprisonment sanctions are given for TIP
offenses.
The legal framework encourages the traffickers to cooperate
with the prosecution within the criminal proceedings.
Article 20 from Law no. 678/2001 provides: "The person who
committed one of the offences provided by this law and during
the criminal lawsuit denounces and helps for identification
of the other participant to the crime, shall benefit by
reducing his own penalty with a half."
In 2007, the Government indicted 398 defendants in 160 files
for
committing TIP offenses.
Labor recruiters are prosecuted under Law no. 678/2001.
G. In 2007, the USG provided training to prosecutors, police
officers, judges, NAATIP officials and other law enforcement
officials through a DOJ sponsored Victim Witness Coordination
program. Most of this training took place in the North and
West regions of Romania. The program brought in experts from
the U.S to instruct Romanian officials on how to work
effectively with victims of trafficking during all legal
proceedings. The responsibility for sustaining this program
fell under the NAATIP.
H. In 2007, Romanian prosecutors and law enforcement
officials collaborated with their counterparts from other
countries in numerous investigations regarding TIP offenses;
113 requests for information were initiated by foreign
judicial authorities and 119 were initiated by Romanian
prosecutors. There are Romanian Law Enforcement Liaison
officers deployed to all Romanian embassies of main
destination countries.
Also, General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime
(GDCOC) and the Border Police have in many cases collaborated
with officers from other European Union countries.
BUCHAREST 00000183 006 OF 014
I. The Romanian government extradites persons who are
charged with trafficking in other countries, if the legal
conditions for extradition are fulfilled. In 2007 there were
no cases of extradition for trafficking offenses.
Art. 19 from the Romanian Constitution provides:
(1) No Romanian citizen shall be extradited or expelled
from Romania.
(2) By exemption from the provision of para.
(1),Romanian citizens can be extradited based
on the international agreements Romania is a party to
according to the law and on a mutual basis.
(3) Aliens and stateless persons may be extradited only
in compliance with an international
convention or in terms of reciprocity.
(4) Expulsion or extradition shall be ruled by the
court.
J. There is no evidence of government involvement in or
tolerance of TIP. There were no prosecutions of Romanian
officials for TIP offences during the reporting period.
K. N/A.
L. The NAATIP was responsible for training all Romanian
peacekeepers on the realities of trafficking in persons prior
to their deployments. These training sections were conducted
several times by NAATIP officials during 2007.
M. Romania does not have an identified child sex tourism
problem, although the media have reported some incidents of
sexual abuse of children by foreign nationals visiting
Romania. Romania child sexual abuse laws have
extra-territorial coverage. In the past,foreign pedophiles
were arrested and prosecuted in Romania for child sex
offenses.
In 2007 there were no cases of foreign pedophiles extradited
to their origin country.
The National Authority for Protection of Children Rights, in
cooperation with MAI, Romanian Hotel Industry Federation,
Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Tourism and NGOs,
continued the project "Intersectorial collaboration between
public and private for prevention of trafficking and sexual
exploitation in hotel industry and tourism." A conduct code
for protection of children against sexual exploitation in
tourism industry were expanded and promoted within this
project.
3. (SBU) PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS
--------------------------------------------- -
A. The GOR provides assistance to foreign trafficking
victims, but since Romania is not a destination country,
there were few victims identified from other countries, the
exception to this being Moldovan citizens. In many cases the
Moldovan victims are treated similarly to Romanian citizens,
since many of them are legally in Romania. There were no
BUCHAREST 00000183 007 OF 014
reported incidents where foreign trafficking victims were
deported from Romania. IOM has the lead on any cases
involving the repatriation of foreigners and has a good
working relationship with the GOR.
B. Under the provision of Law no. 678/2001, victims of
trafficking shall receive special physical, legal and social
protection and assistance. They are also entitled to
physical, psychological and social recovery. Upon request,
TIP victims can receive temporary accommodation in government
shelters for ten days. The accommodation time can be
extended by three months or for the entire duration of the
criminal procedure, upon the request of the criminal
investigation authority. Victims of trafficking are also
covered under the Protection of Crime Victims Law, which
entered into force in January 2005. The law specifies that
Romanian authorities offer: information regarding victims'
rights; psychological aid; legal aid; and financial
compensation funded by the GOR. In 2007, government reports
mentioned at least eight operational state shelters for adult
victims of trafficking, each providing access to legal,
medical and psychological services to varying degrees.
In 2007, 669 victims of trafficking were assisted by the
NAATIP. This was an increase compared to 2006, when 476
victims were assisted. This indicates that aid provided by
the GOR is reaching more victims than before. Most of the
assistance provided in 2007 was in the form of social/legal
assistance. Only 69 of the victims were placed in shelters
by NAATIP, 27 in NGO shelters and 42 in state-run shelters.
Most TIP victims in Romania opted to receive services while
staying with friends and family. In Romania there is a severe
bias, dating to the communist times, against state-run
facilities; even though some state-run shelters are in good
condition, few victims take advantage of these types of
services.
C. The National Interest Program for victim assistance was
created by the NAATIP in the last quarter of 2006. This
program, the first of its kind in the Ministry of Interior
and Administrative Reform, made approximately 160,000 USD
available to NGOs in the form of grants. The funds were made
available late in 2007 and the administration of the funds
was a complex endeavor. For this reason, only three NGOs had
their grants approved, for a total of approximately 72,000
USD distributed. The NGOs were: Ad Pare- 48,000, AFIV
Artemis- 8,800 USD and ANMRF Louis Pasteur Dej- 23,000 USD.
In 2007, governmental support for NGOs became more consistent.
D. The National Authority for Protection of Child Rights set
up an identification system for minor victims of trafficking.
Some law enforcement agencies have procedures for
identifying victims of trafficking; this has improved through
the training and expertise provided by the 15 regional
centers of the NAATIP.
E. Not applicable since in Romania there is no legalized
prostitution.
F. According to Romanian law, modified in 2005, victims of
trafficking who are arrested for prostitution or begging
BUCHAREST 00000183 008 OF 014
cannot be prosecuted for these offenses. Normally, victims
that come from other countries are identified prior to their
repatriation; there are sometimes delays in identifying
internal victims. Children are always considered victims in
relation to trafficking and they are the beneficiaries of
support and protection according to the Romanian laws. In
the past there were anecdotal reports of trafficking victims
being arrested for crimes, but these reports have reduced in
2007.
G. Romanian legislation contains special provisions that
provide benefits and protections for victims who assist in
the investigation and prosecution of trafficking offenses.
Prosecutors responsible for TIP cases usually keep an
objective viewpoint when investigating TIP cases and are
required to remain unbiased when investigating whether a
crime took place.
There are no legal impediments to a victim seeking legal
redress, but the Romanian legal system is slow-moving and
often victims are not able to remain in the location when the
investigation/trial is taking place. Victims are able to
file civil suits against their traffickers as part of the
criminal process or as a separate civil action. There is
nothing preventing witnesses from leaving the country, and
foreigners who are victims of trafficking are repatriated at
the expense of the Romanian government. The repatriations
are often as dictated by bilateral treaties which Romania has
with neighboring and western European countries. Foreign
citizens who are victims of trafficking have the right to
wait 90 days to decide if the would like to cooperate in a
criminal proceeding. The victim witness coordination program
that is outlined in the "best practice" section of this
report has begun to address this issue.
H. The GOR has both formal and informal measures for
protecting victims and witnesses of trafficking offenses.
The formal system includes assistance in changing the
witness's identity and residence. This is a specialized
system that requires a prosecutors' request and an assessment
based upon criteria used by the witness protection unit.
Although these measures have been used to protect witnesses
in TIP cases in the past, they were not used to protect any
TIP victims in 2007. In addition, the victim can invoke less
formal judicial procedures to assist in protecting their
identity and reduce their contact with the defendant and
defendant's associates while testifying in court. TIP
investigators in several counties describe taking a personal
interest in ensuring the protection of TIP victims. At the
same time, individual TIP victims have continued to complain
about being contacted or harassed by traffickers and their
associates.
The GOR provides shelter services for both adult and juvenile
victims of TIP offenses. There are currently nine
operationalstate-sponsored TIP shelters for adult victims.
The state facilities are emergency shelters and are not
designed for long-term rehabilitation. Despite this, they
offer a full range of medical, psychological, and educational
services along with social services and employment assistance
through staff that are most commonly affiliated with broader
BUCHAREST 00000183 009 OF 014
social service programs for children. Since the state
shelters are administered through local officials, their
facilities, services, and relationship to other service
providers vary. Upon the request of the prosecutor, victims
are entitled to remain in the shelter throughout the
investigation and trial. Police and prosecutors have a
statutory obligation to inform victims of the right to go to
a state shelter and to have access to other services. In
practice, investigators report that a majority of victims do
not want to go to a state shelter. The interpretation of
applicable privacy rules often prevents law enforcement from
placing the victim in a state shelter without the victim's
approval. The best scenario for a trafficking victim who is
interested in long-term assistance would be to be placed with
one of the NGOs that support TIP victims who are in a better
position to provide long-term care for the victim.
Minors who are victims of trafficking have a series of
possible care facilities which include: emergency centers,
transit centers, the victim's family with the support of
social services, foster care, or placement centers. If a
child is identified as a victim of trafficking he/she would
not be placed in a juvenile justice detention center.
In 2006, the Romanian Ministry of Justice1 changed existing
law to make it easier for TIP victims to testify in court
cases using video testimony.
I. Specialized training for GOR officials continued in 2007.
The National Authority for Protection of Child Rights has
developed partnerships for specialized training from
international organizations to include: ICMPD, International
Migration Organization, UNICEF, ILO and local NGOs.
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs encourages its
embassies to foster contacts with NGOs and international
organizations that are involved in TIP issues. The training
received by MFA officers prior to their assignment has some
applicability in assisting TIP victims, but, specific
training for MFA officers on TIP issues is limited.
Romania's diplomatic missions have relationships with
different NGOs that specialize in providing assistance for
trafficked victims, as well as with IOM (International
Organization for Migration) for assistance in the voluntary
return of trafficked victims.
J. The Romanian government provides assistance to TIP
victims who are repatriated. The victims are repatriated at
the cost of the government and are eligible to receive the
same benefits as internal victims. These benefits were
described above in section A.
K. In 2007, as noted above, the GOR increased funding for
NGOs. The Romanian government cooperates with the following
international organizations and NGOs that work on TIP issues:
IOs: UNICEF, UNHCR, ANAEM France, IOM, International Labor
Organization.
BUCHAREST 00000183 010 OF 014
NGOs: Red Cross - Romania - information education campaigns
to prevent child trafficking.
Salvati Copii (Save the Children)
- Activities aiming to prevent trafficking and sexual
exploitation in the hotel and tourism industries. A group of
experts developed a code of conduct for hotels and tourism
industries. Information materials were produced and
distributed in hotels and through the tourism agencies.
- Social assistance and counseling for child victims of
trafficking.
- Training for border police, police and social workers on
interviewing children victims of trafficking.
Caritas - anti-TIP and anti-drug information education
campaigns in schools.
AIDRom - Prevention and training activities for governmental
and non-governmental representatives to acquire the necessary
skills for identifying and solving potential situations that
could lead to trafficking and to establish a network of local
contacts involved in similar anti-TIP activities.
Young Generation - shelter, social assistance and counseling
to victims of trafficking
Social Alternatives - prevention activities, anti-trafficking
newsletter, psychological assistance to victims of trafficking
Reaching Out - long-term reintegration services to victims of
trafficking, social assistance, counseling and shelter
Adpare - shelter, counseling, reintegration services for
victims and also prevention activities including peer
education program in Bucharest schools
Betania - social assistance and counseling
Conexiuni - social assistance and counseling
4. (SBU) PREVENTION:
--------------------
A. The Romanian government recognizes that trafficking in
persons is a serious problem. In Embassy discussions with
senior Romanian officials, all of them from across the
political spectrum recognize TIP as a problem in Romania.
The additional funding received by the NAATIP in 2007
reflects this high level interest. The GOR is also very
active in hosting the SoutheastEuropean Cooperative
Initiative (SECI) Bucharest-based regional anti-crime center,
and throughout 2007 a Romanian official headed the Task Force
on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings within SECI. SECI
is a regional model for the sharing of law enforcement
information, including about TIP, and its TIP task force is
one of SECI's most successful endeavors.
B. The GOR partnered with several different NGOs to produce
anti-trafficking campaigns. There have been several
informational and educational campaigns both at the national
BUCHAREST 00000183 011 OF 014
and at the local levels in which the government has been
either the initiator or a key. Some campaigns were financed
by the government, while others were financed by
international donors through NGOs.
Campaigns developed in 2007:
- NAATIP conducted a national anti-trafficking campaign
called "Watch out! There's a price to pay!" This campaign
contained information for the public at large about TIP
issues and was
intended to promote the NAATIP sponsored toll free number.
There were television spots, spots on the TAROM international
flights to and from Bucharest, and many promotional products.
The National Agency for Roma translated the materials into
Romani and helped to disseminate this information to the Roma
community;
- There was a campaign specifically targeting at-risk groups
(at-risk children, the elderly, persons with disabilities and
asylum seekers) called "Beware of Perfect Opportunities with
Perfect Jobs!" This campaign was carried out with materials
and participation of a theater group that performed skits on
TIP topics for at-risk groups. This campaign was carried out
between July 2007 and February 2008;
- On EU Anti-Trafficking Day, 18 October, 2007, NAATIP
carried out awareness activities in Bucharest and counties
throughout the country. Most of these activities were
associated with existing campaigns;
- The National Authority for Protection of Children Rights
continued the public education campaign regarding the rights
of the child "The Rights of the Child are Law." which ran
throughout 2007;
C. The relationships between government officials and NGOs
concerned with trafficking continued to improve in 2007.
There is particularly good cooperation at the working-level
that is often driven by personal contacts.
At the national level, NGOs and international organizations
participate in the IWG meetings. NGOs report that their
presence in these meetings is useful at the level of
information exchange, but their power in influencing policy
is limited.
More Romanian counties reported that they created similar
working-level multi-agency teams comprised of representatives
of civil society and various governmental institutions
involved in anti-trafficking activities at the local level.
This was being driven by the 15 regional NAATIP offices
located throughout the country. These multi-agency teams met
on a regular basis and have had positive results.
D. The GOR monitors its borders through the General
Inspectorate of Border Police (GIBP). The GIBP monitors
immigration and immigration patterns and uses this analysis
to prevent trafficking from occurring. The National TIP
Database is also instrumental in identifying trafficking
trends, particularly concerning the Czech Republic.
E. Coordination on TIP issues among the
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government,international organizations and NGOs occurs within
the framework of the IWG, which is made up of various
governmental ministry representatives and international
organizations and is coordinated by the Ministry of
Administration and Interior (MAI). NGOs and US Embassy
representatives are invited to all IWG meetings. In December
2005, the Romanian government passed a law establishing the
National Agency for the Prevention of TIP and for Monitoring
the Protection of TIP Victims.
The GOR has a specialized investigative and prosecutorial
unit for public corruption based on the task force model.
The government formed an inter-ministerial council at the end
of 2005 that meets regularly to coordinate the fight against
corruption. The Minister of Justice acts as the council's
coordinator, and invites NGO representatives and journalists
to the council's meetings. This council oversees
implementation of the 2005-2007 National Anticorruption
Strategy, which aims to prosecute high-level corruption,
increase transparency in public administration, prevent
corrupt business practices, and increase the integrity of the
judiciary.
F. A five year National Action Plan for Combating
Trafficking in Human Beings was adopted in 2001. National
agencies responsible for the implementation of the Plan
include: MAI-GDCOC, MOJ, MOF, MFA, NACP, MLSS, MPA and MER.
NGOs were consulted in the process of adopting the decision,
and are intended to act as partners during all phases of
implementation. The National Action Plan was widely
disseminated through seminars and training sessions. In
2004, the government adopted a separate National Action Plan
on the Prevention of Trafficking in Children. The Ministry
of Administration and Interior working in conjunction with
UNICEF developed a draft anti-trafficking strategy for
2006-2010 accompanied by a detailed action plan for
2006-2008. A final form of the strategy and action plan was
endorsed by each ministry and then adopted by the government
in mid 2006.
G. Several of the awareness campaigns sponsored by the
NAATIP targeted reducing demand for commercial sex acts by
emphasizing respect for women and children. NGOs that are
sponsored by the GOR are also active in protecting women's
rights.
H. As a relatively new EU member with a developing economy,
Romania has a comparatively small number of tourists
traveling abroad. Correspondingly, there have been no reports
of Romanian citizens traveling abroad to participate in child
sex tourism. The GOR, through NAATIP, has an awareness
program on child rights that serves to educate people on how
to assist children in difficult circumstances. Romanian laws
regarding pedophilia have extra-territoriality coverage for
Romanian citizens.
I. The NAATIP was responsible for training all Romanian
peacekeepers on the realities of trafficking in persons prior
to their deployments. These training sections were conducted
several times by NAATIP officials during 2007.
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5. (SBU) NOMINATION OF HEROES AND BEST PRACTICES
--------------------------------------------- ----
A. TIP Heroes: Post would like to nominate Ms. Gina
Stoian,President of the Association for Developing
Alternative Practices for Reintegration and Education
(ADPARE), Romania as a TIP Hero
Gina Stoian's NGO ADPARE provides alternative social services
for the reintegration of victims of trafficking in persons
and of young people at risk. In 2007, 40 trafficking victims
received crisis assistance and over 100 victims received
long-term assistance, assistance in the family, and
monitoring.
Originally part of an International Labour Organization
initiative, ADPARE evolved into a NGO and has been operating
since 2002. The objectives of ADPARE are to combat human
trafficking and defend human rights through prevention
campaigns, victim assistance for reintegration, and lobbying
efforts.
ADPARE provides both crisis services and long-term support
for victims, including: psychotherapy, housing assistance,
educational assistance, and leisure activities. A
collaboration with ADPARE Holland created several campaigns
such as "Adoptive Families for Victims" and "Protected
Housing." In collaboration with AidRom and Caritas Bucharest,
ADPARE launched an awareness campaign entitled "Beware of
'Perfect' opportunities." The MTV Exit Campaign honored
ADPARE with the 2006 "MTV Award for the Best Pro-Social
Campaign against trafficking in persons." ADPARE is currently
expanding its services to include juridical assistance in
collaboration with the authorities, as well as medical
assistance in emergency situations and routine check-ups.
B. Best Practice: One area of serious improvement in 2007
on the TIP fight in Romania has been the institutionalization
of the TIP National Database that was created by NAATIP.
This database, which was introduced in late-2006, is a
tertiary IT system using a central database and a web
interface application. With this system, law enforcement
personnel are able to input data on TIP victims and all of
the information is de-conflicted and processed at the NAATIP
Headquarters in Bucharest. There are roughly 100 data fields
to be completed for each victim, which allows NAATIP to very
rapidly identify TIP trends. In one case regarding an
increase in labor trafficking to the Czech Republic, NAATIP
officials, through use of the National database, rapidly
identified this trend and was the first GOR institution to
bring this information to law enforcement and policy leaders.
Since Romania is a country of origin, this database is
customized to handle Romanian victims, but could be useful in
other countries that have a similar TIP phenomenon. With
this database, Post has much greater confidence in the TIP
victim data being presented, since problems such as
duplicates and other anomalies are much less likely with this
new system.
6. (U) Embassy POC is Philip Knecht, at 011-40-21-200-3435,
Fax 011-40-21-200-3442. The following Embassy personnel spent
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the approximate time indicated in the preparation of this
report: PolOff Philip Knecht, grade, FS-04, 150 hours; POL
Assistant, Rodica Barlanescu, 6 hours; Political Chief,
Theodore Tanoue, grade FS-02, 6 hours.
7. (U) Amembassy Bucharest's reporting telegrams are
available on the Bucharest SIPRNET Website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/bucharest.
TAUBMAN