Trafficking in children from Moldova to Russia is object to new ILO study

The phenomenon of trafficking in children from Moldova to the Russian Federation is object to a study performed by a Russian Foundation, under the patronage of the European Subregional Office of ILO, the Russian press writes. The study is part of the project “combating child trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation in Balkans and Ukraine” (PROTECT CEE). The aim of the project is to analyze the market of this field, the legislative framework and the modern procedures on combating this phenomenon, practiced by both countries, as well as studying the experience of children’s accommodation, of those who were the victims of traffickers, from donor countries. Within the frameworks of the project will be organized a survey inquiring experts from both countries – representatives of the Government, State Duma, administrations of the heads of state, specialists of the organizations dealing, which are concerned with combating this phenomenon. At the same time, the trafficked children from Moldova will be questioned. It is planned to analyze the factors that determine this phenomenon in both donor and receiving country. In the end of the project, the world, Russian and Moldovan experience in researching trafficking in human beings will be totalized, in order to identify the optimal practice for preventing and reducing this phenomenon. At the same time, a series of recommendations on optimizing the collaboration of those two countries in light of identifying and repatriating children from Moldova will be proposed. The activities of the project will be finished in 2007. Ala Lipciu, National Correspondent of ILO in Moldova, told Info-Prim Neo that the exploitation of children became a serious concern for the decision-making authorities in a series of Stability Pact member countries; both on national and international level, and the International Labor Bureau through the International Program for Eliminating Child Labor engaged itself in expanding its activity in the region. The Program will contribute to eliminating the worst forms of child labor by developing technical abilities and organizational capacities of the governments, trade unions and patronages, NGOs and other partners, and will help formulating and implementing policies, and direct support programs which would facilitate prevention, protection, rehabilitation and reintegration of children. Moldova together with Albania, Romania and Bulgaria are the partner countries of this program amounting to USD 2.2 mln, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovenia have the statute of affiliated countries. The program was launched in 2004 and has to be implemented during 4 years. According to ILO, the trafficking in children from Moldova to Russia, as well as their involvement in the worst forms of labor, started more than 10 years ago and at the beginning of the 21st century reached concerning proportions.