In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) calls on Romania to step up its efforts to prevent trafficking in children and to improve the identification and assistance to child victims.

The report assesses developments since the publication of GRETA’s first evaluation report in 2012 as regards the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

The report says that Romania has made progress in a number of areas, but further improvements are needed in preventing trafficking, identifying victims, providing them with assistance and facilitating their reintegration and compensation.

GRETA notes that over the reporting period the Romanian authorities have developed the legal framework for combatting trafficking in human beings. Additional measures have been made in the areas of training of relevant professionals and raising awareness. The training provided to the Border Police in particular has contributed to the detection of victims of human trafficking. GRETA also commends the high rate of convictions for trafficking in human beings in Romania and the setting up of a national agency for the management of seized assets.

The Council of Europe´s Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, said: “In recent years Romania has made progress in adopting policies against trafficking in human beings. Further action is needed, in particular to prevent this crime at the root and to ensure that victims get the assistance and protection foreseen in the Convention”.

The number of identified child victims of trafficking in Romania has increased considerably in the reporting period and GRETA urges the Romanian authorities to intensify their efforts to prevent trafficking in children, in particular by training child protection professionals and paying special attention to Roma communities and migrant children.

GRETA’s report calls on Romania to expand the mandate of labour inspectors so they can be engaged in the prevention of trafficking. In addition, the report underlines the need to further monitor the recruitment by temporary work agencies offering work abroad.

GRETA also urges the authorities to ensure that victims of trafficking are provided adequate assistance, regardless of their nationality, to devote sufficient human and financial resources to operating shelters across the country, to provide medical care to victims and to support their reintegration via vocational training and access to the labour market.  Another area where improvements are needed is guaranteeing compensation to victims of trafficking.

The total number of victims of trafficking identified in Romania between 2011 and 2015 was 4,622. Most victims (54%) were trafficked for sexual exploitation, followed by labour exploitation (34%) and forced begging (6%). The main countries of destination were Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Greece, Poland and the United Kingdom.