Romania: Emerging market for trafficking? Clients and trafficked women in Romania

Prostitution and Human Trafficking: Focus on Clients

Volumn , Issue , 2009, Pages 123-161

  Dragomirescu, Dan Alexandru ^a   Necula, Carmen ^b   Simion, Raluca ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST   (Romania)

^b Carmen Necula National Institute of Criminology   (Romania)

^c National Institute of Research   (Romania)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 84874857940     PISSN: None     EISSN: None     Source Type: Book    
DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-73630-3_6     Document Type: Chapter

References (32)

1. We are aware of the discussions in the femminist literature regarding the terminology of prostitute. Nethertheless, in Romanian the term of sex worker was not consacrated, perhaps due to the fact that this implies a lucrative side and prostitution is still considered an offence in Romania.
2. The prostitution has to be practiced habitually in order to be considered an offence, so most of the times when the prostitutes are caught on the streets, their deeds are considered contraventions and are punished by a fine according to a special law.
3. The statistical data were provided by the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Human Resources and Relationship with the Superior Council of Magistracy.
4. See Cartierul rosu, Banateanul, 20 martie 2007.
5. Blaga vrea legalizarea, politia se mai gandeste in Gandul, 1 martie 2007, MAI promite legalizarea prostitutiei in 7Plus, 1 martie 2007, Prostituatele ar putea aduce 1% din PIB in Adevarul, 2 martie 2007.
6. The 2000 legislative proposal regarded institutionalized brothels. The procedure was eventually interrupted but it gave rise to a very lively public debate. The Church and some members of civil society protested vehemently against it. In 2004 the Deputy Chamber tried to bring the issue to the surface again but with the same negative outcome.
7. More details on the matter of the legalization of prostitution are comprised in GALLUP Romania and the Open Society Gender Barometer Romania 2000.
8. For a clear distinction between procuring, trafficking of human beings and trafficking in minors see Steluta Lili Oprea, Proxenetism. Trafic de persoane. Trafic de minori. Asemanari. Deosebiri. Dificultati in admninistrarea probatoriilor, available at www.ministerulpublic.ro.
9. IOM managed to sketch a profile of young Romanian girls who were vulnerable to trafficking in human beings. The economic context, unequal chances on the labour market as well as low educational background were some of the main causes. For more details, see IOM, Who is the Next Victim? Vulnerability of Young Romanian Women to Trafficking in Human Beings, 2003.
10. See Traficul de fiinte umane din perspectiva combaterii. Directia generala de Combatere a Criminalitatii Organizate, 2005.
11. See Una mappatura del fenomeno della prostituzione di donne dell'est Europa nella regione del Veneto. Edited by the Assessorato alle Politiche della Sicurezza e dei Flussi Migratori (Excutive Council of the Veneto Region), June 2004.
12. See http://www.cnrr.ro.
13. IOM offers some figures as well. According to them, 885 asylum applications were submitted in 2003 to the National Refugee Office and 206 were accepted and 608 until November 2004 and only 130 accepted (See IOM, Second Annual Report on Victims of Trafficking in South Eastern Europe, 2005).
14. Irakienii, iranienii si palestinienii, in topul refugiatilor din Romania, in 2006, (Gardianul, 2006).
15. The Authority for Foreigners was an authority subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and the Administrative Reform which had as tasks, among others, to combat illegal migration and to keep records of foreigners who obtained permit stay in Romania.
16. Realitatea Romaneasca, Editia din 27.04.2007, available at www.realitatearomaneaca.ro.
17. The normative act establishing the new body is the Emergency Ordinance no. 55/20.06.2007, published in the Official Gazette 424/26.06.2007.
18. See for details Government Decision no. 44/2004 on the Social Integration of Aliens who were Granted a Form of Protection in Romania.
19. By the two protocols we mean of course the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Air and Sea, supplementing the same Convention.
20. The Convention was the result of the efforts undertaken by the Council of Europe in the field of THB: CoE had previously issued several other instruments, without binding effect though.
21. Law 682/2002 on witness protection stipulates that trafficking in human beings is among the serious crimes that are subject to the witness protection program.
22. The law under discussion comprises some measures that can be applied to the victims of trafficking, such as informing them about their rights, getting psychological counseling and, under certain circumstances, juridical assistance, free of charge. See for details, Law no. 211/2004 regarding certain measures for ensuring the protection of crime victims, Official Gazette no. 505/4.06.2004.
23. The Agency was founded by Decision of Government no. 1584/2005, modified and completed by Decision of Government no. 1083/2006.
24. Between January 2000 and December 2004 IOM offered assistance to 1054 Romanian victims and 31 foreign victims. Both categories received the same assistance. Among the 31 foreign victims some were trafficked for sexual exploitation, and some for labour. Most of them were Moldovans. Obviously, IOM estimates that the actual number of foreign persons trafficked in Romania is higher than the assisted cases. (IOM, Second Annual Report on Victims of Trafficking in South Eastern Europe, 2005).
25. Decision of Government no. 1226/6.12.2001 and Decision of Government no. 1282/27 Oct. 2005.
26. See for details the Decision of Government no. 1295/13.08.2004 regarding the approval of the National Plan of Action for the Prevention and combating of Children Traffic and the Decision of Government no. 1504/16.09.2004 concerning the Plan of Action for the Prevention and combating of the Sexual Abuse of the Child and Sexual Exploitation of the Children for Commercial Purposes.
27. The National Strategy, approved by Decision of Government was published in the Official Gazette, no. 967/4.12.2006.
28. The competences of the agency are established by the two decisions of government already mentioned, by the National Strategy and the Plan of Action and more about its role and activities is available at www.anitp. mai.gov.
29. The woman confessed to us that amazed by the strange sexual request of the client set an appointment with him not in order to proceed but just to see how what he was like. She was surprised by the fact that the man seemed normal, handsome and well dressed, with a very expensive car.
30. Aware that prostitution, with its various shapes, can not be impeded, eradicated or eliminated we prefer the term "hinder" that adequately describes the limited pressure that society is able to put upon the phenomenon.
31. Her preference is probably not an objective one, as the Romanian girls were the ones who reported her for THB which consequently led to her imprisonment.
32. Interesting comments on this dichotomy, although with referrence to the American legislation, is the Trafficking, Victims' Protection Act of 2000 to be seen in Wendy Chapkis, Trafficking, Migration and the Law. Protecting Innocents, Punishing Immigrants, in Gender and Society, Vol. 17, No. 6, December 2003, pp. 923-937.