Countering Trafficking in Moldova

The purpose of this report is to describe the counter-trafficking work carried out in
the Republic of Moldova. The premise is that due to the extent of the phenomenon in the country, Moldova has been forced to take trafficking seriously, and that learning from the insights and approaches developed there might help in developing counter-trafficking field in other countries.
This report aims to provide an overall description of the counter-trafficking field in Moldova, and to provide the reader with basic understanding of the cooperation at the centre of the efforts. In addition to multidisciplinary approach, being flexible in providing assistance and protection seems to be a key ingredient of the Moldovan model and indeed, flexibility is a prerequisite for needs-based trafficking work and one of the strengths of the Moldovan response – unfortunately respecting it’s centrality is also a challenge for an overall description such as this report. Similarly a challenge is that the knowledge about trafficking is based on the cases that have been brought to the attention of authorities or organisations and is therefore both selective and historical;most likely only a fraction of actual cases are known, and by the time the information of these cases has been analysed trafficking trends have probably already changed.
This report is based on interviews with staff of different organisations, carried out in Moldova in April 2009, as well as on literature which touches upon trafficking in Moldova. The report has two parts; the first chapters describe Moldova and counter-trafficking efforts in the country, while the latter chapters consider the challenges for the work. Concrete examples are given in the text; some are isolated incidents and observations, of the prevalence of which there is no certainty, and others describe specific projects or practises. These examples allow having a feel for the environment in which the Moldovan actors operate and align their policies.
It is good to bear in mind that while the report concentrates on actual counter-trafficking efforts, trafficking is a structural problem. Almost all the interviewed experts underlined that the fall in numbers of the most violent cases is linked to the overall increase in living standards in Moldova in the recent years, largely as a result of money sent home by migrants. However, it is also evident that the evolvement of counter-trafficking efforts has had an effect on the way the traffickers conduct their business: it is safer for them, instead of the use of obvious force and violence, to allow the victims some freedom and some money, so that trafficking becomes harder to identify.
For example Turkey has recently deported numerous persons, considered to be victims of trafficking by IOM, as prostitutes or illegal aliens. Nevertheless, eradicating poverty, reducing pay gaps, increasing employment opportunities and increasing equality (including measures to combat violence against women) are a crucial part of the fight against trafficking.