2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

violations and running away from their sponsors,
without determining the underlying causes. Some
victims remain in the deportation centers for years
pending resolution of their cases, permission from
their sponsors to leave the country, or in retaliation
for seeking to recover unpaid wages or requesting
a new sponsor. The government removed restrictions
on victims’ access to the government shelter
and widely publicized the existence of the shelter
and hotlines. In only a small percentage of cases,
however, did the government encourage victims to
assist in trafficking investigations or offer victims
alternatives to deportation to countries in which
they may face retribution. The shelter accommodated
only 20 trafficking-related victims this year.
Prevention
Qatar’s efforts to prevent trafficking in some areas
improved over the reporting period. A committee
conducted visits to camel racing tracks to ensure
compliance with the government’s ban on the use
of child camel jockeys. Qatar also held a workshop
for 42 recruitment agencies to raise awareness of
trafficking. The National Office for Combating
Trafficking in Persons led a government training
seminar on legal, social and security dimensions
of trafficking for police officers, Internal Security
service officers, and others. Anti-trafficking training
has been incorporated into the basic training
curriculum for police officers. A media campaign
highlighted sponsors’ responsibilities, and resources
available to victims. Qatar has not ratified the 2000
UN TIP Protocol.
ROMANIA (Tier 2)
Romania is a source and transit country for men
and women from Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia
trafficked to Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, the
Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece, and Austria for the
purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual
exploitation. Romanian children are trafficked
within the country for sexual exploitation and
forced begging. Roma women and girls are highly
vulnerable to trafficking.
The Government of Romania does not fully
comply with the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking; however, it is making
significant efforts to do so. In November 2006,
the government implemented a new traffickingspecific
victim-witness coordination program and
assisted 26 victims of trafficking. The government
improved cooperation with anti-trafficking NGOs
and allocated $250,000 in 2006 to NGOs for use in
anti-trafficking efforts in 2007. In December 2006,
the government launched a national database to
assist victim identification and referral efforts. In
the coming year, Romania should increase efforts to
develop a national victim referral system and standards,
and to train police to ensure that victims are
identified and not inappropriately fined or otherwise
penalized. The government should conduct
a demand-reduction public awareness campaign,
targeting clients of the sex trade.
Prosecution
Romania continued its law enforcement efforts
during the reporting period. Romania prohibits
trafficking for the purposes of both sexual and labor
exploitation through Law no. 678/2001, which
prescribes penalties of 3 to 13 years’ imprisonment.
These penalties are sufficiently stringent
and commensurate with penalties prescribed for
other grave crimes, such as rape. In 2006, police
conducted 61 investigations, down from 231 in
2005. During the reporting period, 780 persons
were prosecuted, resulting in the conviction of 187
traffickers, down from 235 convictions in 2005.
Romania demonstrated improved progress in
the sentencing of traffickers during the reporting
period. In 2006, 164 convicted traffickers served
time in prison ranging from 6 months to 15 years,
while 23 traffickers served no time in prison. This
is a significant improvement from 2005 when more
than 40 percent of convicted traffickers served no
prison time.
Protection
Romania continued its efforts to improve victim
protection. The government established 15 regional
victim assistance centers in 2006, which identified
79 victims from September through December 2006;
these centers are responsible for implementing the
victim-witness coordination project and for identifying
and referring victims to NGOs and government
shelters. Although the government operated at least
nine trafficking shelters at the state level, the quality
and consistency varied from region to region; some
shelters were temporarily closed during the reporting
period due to a lack of funding and maintenance.
The government identified a total of 2,285 victims
throughout the year; 476 victims received assistance
from either government agencies or NGOs,
a significant increase from 175 victims assisted in
2005. According to law, NGOs that provide services
to trafficking victims have government funding
priority. Although some law enforcement agencies
have victim identification procedures, there are no
national victim identification or referral procedures
R O M A N I A
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