Human trafficking cases decrease in number, but number of illegal immigration cases increases
- 18.03.2009 07:20
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The number of cases of trafficking in human beings has declined, but the cases of illegal immigration have increased in number. The statement was made at the meeting of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking on March 17, Info-Prim Neo reports.
Valeriu Hancu, the director of the Interior Ministry’s Center for Combating Trafficking in Persons, said that the number of crimes related to human trafficking last year decreased by 14.3% from 2007. “Despite progress, this problem remains a priority for the Moldovan law enforcement bodies because the reduction is not essential,” Hancu said.
According to him, the Center’s officers in cooperation with the local subdivisions of the Interior Ministry in 2008 opened 166 legal cases, including 72 for trafficking in persons, eight for trafficking in children, 15 for illegally taking children out of the country and 71 for procuring. About 90 cases or more than 50% were sent to court. Last year, the Center discovered and annihilated 13 specialized networks, four of which for trafficking in persons, five for procuring and four for illegally taking children out of the country.
Among the major destination countries remain Turkey (50% of the victims), Cyprus (7%) and the United Arab Emirates (5%). About 80% of the victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation, 16% for labor exploitation and about 2% for begging.
Eduard Bulat, the head of the Division for Fighting Human Trafficking of the General Prosecutor’s Office, said that the number of cases of trafficking in persons decreased, but the number of illegal immigration cases rose. According to Bulat, as the authorities pass heavy sentences the offenders change their activity and start to organize illegal immigration.
Eduard Bulat also said that the number of cases when the children are illegally taken out of the country has increased. The children are taken to their parents who work abroad, most often illegally. Also, many former victims that provided sexual services abroad and know the criminal environment in the destination country become traffickers.
The number of cases of trafficking in children for labor exploitation fell in 2008. There was reported no case of organ trafficking. At the same time, the Prosecutor’s Office conducted investigations following the appearance of articles in the foreign press about the large number of cases of trafficking in children from specialized Moldovan education institutions for taking organs. The Prosecutor’s Office promised to make the results public when the investigations are complete.
In 2008, the General Prosecutor’s Office examined 202 cases of human trafficking opened against 253 offenders. Sixty-eight culprits were sentenced for trafficking in persons. Out of these, 58 offenders were sentenced to 7 to 23 years’ imprisonment, depending on the aggravating circumstances.
Stella Rotaru, specialist in repatriation and analysis at the International Organization for Migration Office in Moldova, said that the number of identified and repatriated victims has also decreased. As many as 129 repatriations were carried out in 2006, 103 in 2007 and 44 in 2008. “However, as the victims related, this phenomenon became not so obvious as the traffickers changed their tactics,” Rotaru said.
At the end of the meeting, the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking approved a decision whereby it describes the activities to prevent and combat human trafficking carried out in Moldova as relatively satisfactory.
