Traffickers in human being profit from the economic vulnerability of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and also of Ukrainian refugees. In the recent past, the criminal networks specialized in human trafficking have become more active and this is confirmed by the large number of groupings identified by the law enforcement agencies, said representatives of the public association “Woman for Contemporary Society” that implemented the project “Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings among Ukraine War Refugees”.
In a news conference hosted by IPN, the association’s head Vera Lupu, project director, said the large inflow of Ukrainian refugees in the Republic of Moldova starting with February 24, 2022 has been an additional burden on state institutions working in different areas, including those dealing with the fight against human trafficking.
To make a contribution, the public association launched the project within which partnerships in 2022 were established with the General Police Inspectorate, the Police Academy “Ștefan cel Mare”, district councils and social assistance divisions of the districts of Călărași, Strășeni, Orhei and Anenii Noi so as to organize training sessions for 389 representatives of the National Referral System in these regions. “Our goal was to train about 350-400 functionaries and we managed to do this owing to the openness and cooperation witnessed at district level. Each district head, each institution manager was very aware of the necessity of such training,” noted Vera Lupu.
Igor Luca, grant officer of the Alliance of Active NGOs in the field of Child and Family Social Protection (APSCF), said the seminars were staged for specialists in the identification and referral of cases of human trafficking. They helped secure long-term results in the prevention of human trafficking, primarily among refugees. “The necessity of the project is evident – the prevention of trafficking in human beings among Ukrainian refugees. The vulnerability of these persons is very big in the current situation. That’s why we consider the training of multidisciplinary teams is of major importance and will have a significant impact on the prevention of trafficking in human beings,” said Igor Luca.
Doctor of Law Vitalie Ionașcu, university lecturer and trainer for the project, said that he took part in the training of almost 400 persons. “This experience enabled me to draw a number of conclusions as a result of the assessment of the results obtained in the training secessions, especially based on the questioning of participants,” stated Vitalie Ionașcu.
The project “Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings among Ukraine War Refugees” is implemented in partnership with the APSCF in the framework of the grants program of the project “Support for Refugees under APSCF Umbrella”, with financial support from the donor Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe.
Note: IPN News Agency gives the right of reply to persons who consider they were touched by the news items produced based on statements of the organizers of the given news conference, including by facilitating the organization of another news conference in similar conditions.
