Trafficking in human beings remains a serious violation that encroaches on the basic human rights and human dignity. It affects both the freedom and physical integrity of the person as it implies the exploitation and even sale of individuals, said doctor of law Vitalie Ionașcu, university lecturer who took part as a trainer in the project “Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings among Ukraine War Refugees” that was implemented by the public association “Woman for Contemporary Society”.
In a news conference staged by IPN, Vitalie Ionașcu said human tracking is a serious offense recognized by all the states. The traffickers deceive women, men and children all over the world, exploiting them daily in different forms. Sexual exploitation is the most known form of exploitation globally. Cases of labor exploration to force persons do domestic chores and beg have been detected at regional level. Our findings are based on statistical data of different authorities, institutions. Specialty literature says that this type of crime is latent or hidden. There are different opinions that human trafficking is four or even ten times larger,” said the lecturer.
The Republic of Moldova remains a country of origin and also a transit country, to a smaller extent. But there were also cases when the Republic of Moldova was a country of destination. The Moldovan citizens’ susceptibility to this offense led to the favoring and spreading of human trafficking, having a negative impact,” noted Vitalie Ionașcu.
The head of the public association “Woman for Contemporary Society” Vera Lupu, project director, said that a large inflow of Ukrainian refugees has been reported in the Republic of Moldova following the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Given the economic vulnerability, the cases of human trafficking increased in number. Therefore, the association, which was founded in 2002, decided to become involved to a greater extent and to fight this phenomenon. “Working in support of the refugees since February 2022, alongside the team and experts in the prevention and combating of trafficking in human beings, we considered it necessary to contribute with effort, knowledge so as to prevent cases of trafficking in human beings,” stated Vera Lupu.
As part of the project, 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 and training sessions were organized for about 400 representatives of the National Referral System in these regions.
The project “Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings among Ukraine War Refugees” is implemented in partnership with the Alliance of Active NGOs in the field of Child and Family Social Protection (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.
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