Romania launches new national strategy tackling human trafficking

Romania, one of the main source countries for victims of human trafficking in Europe, launched this week a new national strategy to tackle the phenomenon over the 2024-2028 period.

According to prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, who was present at the launch on May 13, roughly 500 Romanians fall victim to human trafficking each year.

"Unfortunately, Romania is on the map of human traffickers, recognized for almost 20 years as one of the main source countries for victims exploited in Europe. Official statistics from recent years show that over 500 Romanian citizens are identified annually as victims, and this number does not include those in trafficking situations who are not found in official statistics. Moreover, about half of the identified victims are children or young people, which concerns us even more," said Marcel Ciolacu, cited by Libertatea.

Despite these worrying figures, Romania is on the right path when it comes to countering human trafficking, according to the officials. The new strategy even uses AI to tackle the issue.

"We find that artificial intelligence is already part of our lives, and it can be a true ally against human trafficking, being an instrument already used in some states for detecting and preventing online human trafficking," said Bogdan Despescu, state secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the press conference held at the Government headquarters.

The national strategy against human trafficking received support from all political groups in the Romanian Parliament.

"There are very few bankers who are victims of human trafficking. Or academics. There are many poor people in this country and many vulnerable people in this country," said the president of the Interministerial Committee for coordinating the fight against human trafficking, deputy Petre Florin Manole.

The objectives of the new strategy address four important aspects: prevention, punishment, protection, and partnership, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs website.

(Photo source: Tinnakorn Jorruang | Dreamstime.com)