tate a Centrului Internaional pentru Protecia i Promovarea Drepturilor Femeii La Strada-Moldova i refect experiena de lucru i colaborare cu organizaii parteneri din republic i lume din aceast perioad. Editarea ei a fost posibil graie sprijinului fnanciar al Interchurch Organisation for Development and Co-operation (ICCO), Olanda. Opiniile i informa- iile prezentate n publicaie nu refec- t neaprat politica i poziia ICCO. Unele date i afrmaii pot f xe- rocopiate gratis i reproduse fr acordul prealabil al autorilor numai n scopuri instructive, tiinif- ce, care nu urmresc obinerea de proft, cu condiia indicrii sursei. Pentru informaii suplimentare privind prezenta publicaie ne putei contacta: MD 2012, Republica Moldova, Chiinu, CP 259. Te present publication is meant to mark the Five-Year Anniversary of the activ- ity performed by the International Center for Protection and Promotion of Womens Rights La Strada-Moldova. It is also meant to refect the experience gained through joint work and cooperation with the partner organizations national- and worldwide. Te publication was made possible thanks to f- nancial support kindly provided by the Dutch Interchurch Organization for Development Co-operation (ICCO). Te viewpoints and information appearing in this publication do not necessarily coincide with the policy and position of ICCO. Certain data and statements appearing in this publication could be Xerox copied gratis and reproduced without prior consent of the authors, provided such is done for instructive and/or scientifc purposes and is not pursu- ing the scope of gaining proft, and with due reference made to the source. For any additional information regarding the present publication, please contact us at: MD 2012, the Republic of Moldova, Chisinau, P.O. Box 259 Editor: Centrul Internaional pentru Promovarea i Protecia Drepturilor Femeii La Strada-Moldova. Preedinte Ana REVENCO Tel.: (+373 22) 23 49 06 Fax: (+373 22) 23 49 07 -mail: ofce@lastrada.md Web Site: www.lastrada.md Alctuitori: Angela BRAOVEANU Nicolae MISAIL Tel.: (+ 373 22) 23 49 06 (+ 373 22) 23 47 07 Design i procesare computerizat: Casa IMAGO Publisher: International Center for Protection and Promotion of Womens Rights La Strada President Ana REVENCO Tel.: (+373 22) 23 49 06 Fax: (+373 22) 23 49 07 -mail: ofce@lastrada.md Web Site: www.lastrada.md Drafers: Angela BRASOVEANU Nicolae MISAIL Tel.: (+ 373 22) 23 49 06 (+ 373 22) 23 47 07 Design: Casa IMAGO 1 i una, i alta, conteaz prin ce prism l abordm. Firete, este mai nti un fenomen social, dat find c afecteaz direct sntatea moral i fzic a popula- iei, genofondul ei. Printre consecinele sociale mai grave cu care se confrunt majoritatea statelor de pe mapamond sunt creterea migraiei ilegale i prezena unei reele transnaionale de organizaii criminale, care genereaz, n egal m- sur pentru statele de origine, precum i pentru cele de destinaie a trafcului, probleme de securitate naional, nclcarea legislaiei naionale i internaiona- le, erodarea ncrederii comunitii n clasa politic i autoritile statale. Dar nu n ultim instan este i un business criminal, trafcul de fine uma- ne find una dintre cele mai proftabile infraciuni, situat, dup veniturile cu care se cptuiesc trafcanii de destine umane, pe al treilea loc n lume, precedat doar de trafcul de arme i cel de droguri. Mai grav ns este faptul c civilizaia modern, pind n mileniul trei, de rnd cu spectaculoasele realizri ale tiinei, tehnologiilor informaionale, cultu- rii i democraiei, se confrunt cu cea mai ruinoas form de sclavie trafcul de persoane, o grav violare a drepturilor fundamentale ale omului. 1. Ce este trafcul de fine umane un business criminal sau un fenomen social? Actually both; it all depends from which standpoint we approach it. As a matter of fact, it is primarily the social phenomenon since it directly afects both moral and physical health of the population and its gene pool. Amongst the most grievous social consequences to which the majority of countries are exposed worldwide it is worth mentioning growth in il- legal migration and existence of a transnational network of criminal organizations. Te latter are known for undermining national security, infringement of national and international legislation, eroding communitys credence to the political class and government authorities. Such ofences being equally detrimental to the countries of origin and to the trafcking tar- get counties. Criminal business is harvesting its crop on trafcking in human being, which stands amongst the most proftable ofences ranking the third afer drug trafc and arms trade by profts cashed in on by the trafckers of human destinies. Even more disappointing is the fact that modern day civilization while stepping into the third millennium in line with spectacular achievements in science, informa- tional technologies, culture and democracy en- counters most shameful form of slavery traf- fcking in human beings a shocking ofence against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights. 1. What is trafcking in human beings a criminal business or a social phenomenon? 2 Dei o vreme se credea c trafcul de fine umane este n exclusivitate o pro- blem a Europei de Est i Asiei de Sud-Est, realitatea ultimilor ani arat c feno- menul s-a extins pe toate continentele. De rnd cu un ir de ri europene ca Albania, Belarus, Bosnia i Heregovina, Bulgaria, Republica Ceh, Macedonia, Moldova, Polonia, Romnia, Rusia, Ucraina etc., precum i din Asia de Sud-Est Azerbaidjan, Tadjikistan, Kazahstan, Kirghizstan, Pakistan, Iran, cu acest fe- nomen se confrunt i state dezvoltate ca Anglia, Belgia, Cipru, Coreea de Sud, Emiratele Arabe Unite, Frana, Germania, Grecia, Yemen, India, Indonezia, Ita- lia, Suedia, Turcia i chiar SUA i Japonia. i dac ntre anii 1998-2002 rutele trafcului se ndreptau mai des spre zonele de conficte militare, n ultimii ani geografa lui se extinde spre Orientul Mijlociu i coastele Africii de Nord (Turcia, Israel, Emiratele Arabe Unite, Egipt, Libia, altele). Adic spre un areal balneo- turistic i de cultur cu tradiii de desconsiderare a femeii, limitare a drepturilor ei n raport cu brbaii. Oricum, find un fenomen latent i ntr-o dinamic de invidiat, trafcul de persoane a cunoscut o rspndire rapid pe ntreg globul pmntesc, mai find favorizat i de fenomenul globalizare i de interconexiunea crescnd a lumii in- terlope. 2. Ce state din Europa, din lume mai sunt afectate de acest fagel i n ce msur? Although for some time it was believed that trafcking in human beings was an exclu- sive problem encountered by Eastern Europe and South-East Asia, the reality of recent years shows that the phenomenon has spread out over all the continents. Same as a number of European countries, such as Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Re- public, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Roma- nia, Russia, Ukraine, etc., as well as some coun- ties of Southeastern Asia, such as Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Iran, encountering same phenomenon are such developed countries as England, Belgium, Cyprus, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Greece, Yemen, India, In- donesia, Italy, Sweden, Turkey and even USA and Japan. If during 1998-2002 the trafcking routes led mostly to zones of military conficts, then in the recent years its extended its geog- raphy towards Middle East and costal area of Northern Africa (Turkey, Israel, and United Arab Emirates), i.e. towards the spa-tourist and culture featuring traditions of discriminatory treat of women and limitation of their rights as compared to such enjoyed by men. In any case being a phenomenon of latent nature although proving rather striking dy- namics the trafcking in persons took a rapid spread globally being also favored by the glo- balization and ever growing interconnection among criminal elements worldwide. 2. What other countries in Europe and worldwide are afected by this plague and to what extent? 3 Riscurile reduse pentru trafcani (lipsa legislaiei, corupia i inefciena organe- lor de drept), costurile mici n desfurarea afacerii, posibilitatea de a vinde vic- timele i de a le supune exploatrii repetate aduc reelelor criminalitii organizate trans-frontaliere profturi exorbitante. Potrivit unor date ale Ofciului Naiunilor Unite privind combaterea drogurilor i crimei organizate (UNDOC), trafcanii de fine umane se aleg anual cu un proft ilicit de circa 8 miliarde USD (comparabil cu proftul din trafcul de droguri). Conform altei surse (datele EUROPOL), cifra de afaceri a acestui business ilegal constituie 6-9 miliarde USD. Mai grav este faptul c pierderile de viei omeneti i destinele mutilate ale milioanelor de persoane, cheltuielile, materiale i morale, pentru reabilitarea i reintegrarea victimelor acestui fagel sunt mult mai mari i mult prea greu de estimat. 3. Care sunt profturile provenite din trafcul cu fine umane? Low risk environment for the trafckers (lack of adequate legislation, corruption and in- efciency of law enforcement bodies), low cost of engagement in business, good chances to trade victims and force them into repeated ex- ploitations bring exorbitant profts harvested by the trans-border organized crime. Accord- ing to some data made available by the UN- DOC, the trafckers in human beings are get- ting hold of annual illicit proft worth about USD 8 billion (a fgure comparable to proft generated by trading drugs). According to yet another source (EUROPOL data) the turnover of this illicit business amounts to USD 6 to 9 billion. Gravely disappointing is also the fact that loss of human lives and millions of mutilated destinies as well as material and moral costs incurred with rehabilitation and social reinte- gration of victims of this plague are much big- ger and their estimation does not seem to be an easy job. 3. Being specifc, what is the size of profts generated by trafcking in human beings? 4 Reeaua internaional La Strada ia natere n septembrie 1995, n urma unui acord de colaborare tripartit ntre Fundaia olandez mpotriva trafcului de femei (Stichting tegen Vrouwenhandel, STV) i dou ONG-uri de protecie a drepturilor femeilor din Polonia i Republica Ceh. Acord precedat de o analiz a fenomenului n Belgia, Olanda i Suedia, care a alertat organizaia neguvernamental STV din Olanda. Anume ea face publice un ir de date, potrivit crora, n 1994, din 168 de cazuri pe care le-a examinat, 69% se refereau la femeile din Europa Central i de Est. Peste 50 la sut dintre acestea erau din Rusia, Ucraina i alte foste republici sovietice. n anii 1993-94 numrul victimelor din aceste ri s-a dublat, iar din Polonia i Cehia a crescut de la 7 la 40. n ianuarie 1997 i iunie 1998 la reeaua La Strada au aderat ali doi parteneri Ucraina i Bulgaria. Ctre 2001 La Strada se extinde i n Belarus, Bosnia i Here- govina, Macedonia i Moldova. n cadrul ntrunirii anuale de la Chiinu din 29 mar- tie - 4 aprilie 2004 a coordonatorilor naionali ai organizaiilor afliate Programului de Prevenire a Trafcului de Femei La Strada, a fost creat Asociaia Internaional La Strada, prin adoptarea, la 31 martie, a unei Declaraii comune. Este prima asociaie de acest gen n Europa, care i propune ca scop contracararea trafcului de persoane i sensibilizarea problemei la nivel politic nalt, promovarea, la nivel continental i regio- nal, a drepturilor persoanelor ce devin victime ale comerului cu oameni. 4. Cnd i cum s-a constituit reeaua internaional La Strada i ce ri cuprinde? Te International network La Strada was founded in 1995, on the basis of a tripar- tite agreement of cooperation signed by the Dutch Foundation against trafcking of women (Stichting tegen Vrouwenhandel, STV) and two NGOs for protection of womens rights from Poland and Czech Republic. Signing of this Agreement was preceded by analysis of this phenomenon in Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden, which served as an alert for the Dutch non-governmental organization STV. Te latter is the one making a series of data publicly dis- closed; pursuant to these data, back in 1994, out of 168 cases examined, 69% referred to women from Central and Eastern Europe. Over 50 % of these were from Russia, Ukraine and other former Union Republics. During 1993-94 the number of victims from these countries has doubled while such from Poland and Czech Re- public went up from 7 to 40 percent. In January 1997 and in June 1998 two new partners Ukraine and Bulgaria adhered to the network La Strada. By 2001 La Strada encompasses Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovi- na, Macedonia and Moldova. Created in the course of the annual meeting of the national coordinators of organizations afliated with the Program to Prevent Trafcking in Women La Strada held at Chisinau on March 29-April 4, 2004, was the International Association La Strada through adoption of a Joint Declara- tion on March 31, 2004. It is the fst Association of this type in Europe, which suggests as a key scope counteracting trafcking in persons and sensitizing the problem at top political level and promoting at continental and regional level the rights of persons who became victims of trading in people. 4. When and how was established the international network La Strada and what countries it comprises? 5 n cadrul Asociaiei Internaionale La Strada, organizaiile membre implemen- teaz mpreun Programul La Strada prevenirea trafcului de femei n rile Eu- ropei Centrale i de Est, al crui scop rezid n informarea cetenilor, n special a femeilor i fetelor tinere, despre pericolele trafcului de fine umane, precum i ajutorarea persoanelor trafcate n stabilirea contactelor cu organizaiile din reea ce acord asisten victimelor trafcului. Misiunea reelei internaionale La Strada se circumscrie realizrii propriilor politici, promovnd o abordare multidisciplinar: campanii de informare i lobby, activiti de prevenire i educaie, asisten victimelor trafcului, colabornd activ n toate aceste direcii n cadrul unui parteneriat unic. La Strada este un exemplu de parteneriat internaional dintre Est i Vest n cazuri concrete de ajutorare a victime- lor, printr-un amplu sistem de comunicare internaional i schimb de experien valoroas, colectarea i analiza informaiei privind legislaia naional n domeniu i monitorizarea procesului de implementare a normelor i standardelor internaio- nale n fecare ar. Colaborarea ntre organizaiile antitrafc din reea mai scontea- z organizarea de seminare, conferine, simpozioane la nivel internaional pentru reprezentanii ONG-urilor i structurilor de stat, ai ageniilor de plasare n cmpul muncii, lucrtorilor sociali, cadrelor didactice, organelor de drept i reprezentanilor consulatelor, ambasadelor, care pot f antrenai n activiti educative i preventive. 5. Cum colaboreaz aceste organizaii n contracararea trafcului de fine umane? Under the umbrella of the International As- sociation La Strada, member organizations con- tribute to joint implementation of the Program La Strada prevention of trafcking of women in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Te scope hereto pursued lies with providing infor- mation to the citizens, especially making such information available to women and young girls and warning them on the threat of trafcking in human beings as well as granting assistance to trafcked persons in establishing contacts with or- ganizations within the network extending support to the victims of trafcking. Te key mission underlying activities dis- played by the International Network La Strada lies with implementation of its own policies by promoting a comprehensive approach: informa- tion campaigns and lobbying, activities targeted towards countering and raising awareness (edu- cating), granting assistance to trafcking victims, displaying proactive cooperation in all of herewith mentioned domains within the framework of joint partnership. La Strada is an example of interna- tional partnership between East and West on spe- cifc cases of assistance granted to victims through an ample system of international communication and exchange of valuable experience, compilation and analysis of information concerning national legislation in the domain and monitoring the proc- ess of implementation of the international rules and standards in each of the counties. Cooperation between antitrafcking organizations making part of the network is also planning to hold workshops, conferences, symposia at the international level for the representatives of the NGO and government structures, employment agencies, social workers, teachers, law enforcement bodies as well as for consulates and embassies that could be engaged in the educational and preventive activities. 5. How do these organizations cooperate in view of counteracting trafcking in human beings? 6 6. Exist o statistic despre numrul persoanelor trafcate anual n lume? Anual, n lume victime ale trafcului de fine umane devin mii i mii de per- soane. O evaluare exact a numrului acestora este practic imposibil, avnd n vedere c problema are un caracter ascuns. La nivel internaional exist ceva date privind dimensiunile fenomenului, dar cifrele cu care se opereaz pot f consi- derate mai mult sau mai puin estimative. Bunoar, surse ale Guvernului SUA estimeaz c anual, pe glob, victime ale trafcului de fine umane devin ntre 600 000 i 800 000 de persoane (aprilie 2004); potrivit unor date fcute publice de UNICEF, 1 milion de copii de pe glob devin anual victime ale aceluiai feno- men. Iar Fondul ONU pentru Populaie (UNFPA) estimeaz c n ntreaga lume sunt trafcate circa 2 milioane de femei. A opera cu cifre absolut exacte este mai difcil din mai multe motive. nti i-nti, reelele de trafcani nu duc statistici n acest sens. Din pcate, nici victi- mele adesea nu vor s mrturiseasc ceea ce li s-a ntmplat persoanele supuse exploatrii sexuale se tem s divulge istoria lor de frica rzbunrii trafcanilor, precum i din cauza stigmatizrii lor de ctre societate. Astfel c multe cazuri de trafc rmn nedescoperite. n sfrit, multe victime nu cred n triumful drept- ii i nu vd sensul adresrii ctre structurile ofciale, aa nct i cifrele cu care opereaz aceste structuri sunt aproximative. 6. Is there any statistics on the number of persons trafcked annually around the world? Tousands and thousands of human be- ings around the world become victims of traf- fcking on annual basis. Precise assessment of the number of such persons is practically im- possible, bearing in mind that the problem is of rather latent nature. At the international level there are some data regarding the dimensions of the phenomenon; however, the fgures used could be considered as more or less estimative. Te estimates made available by the sources within the Government of the United States of America show that the annual worldwide number of trafcking victims ranges within from 600.000 to 800.000 persons (April 2004); according to some data made available by the UNICEF, 1 million children around the world become victims of the same phenomenon on annual basis. Te estimates of the United Na- tions Population Fund (UNFPA) show that trafcked around the world are about 2 mil- lion women. Tere are a number of reasons that make it difcult using absolutely exact fgures. First, and above all, the trafckers networks do not maintain any statistics to that end. Unfortu- nately, the victims are rarely willing to con- fess what has happened to them; persons sub- jected to sexual exploitation fear that divulging their stories could trigger revenge on behalf of the trafckers; the other reason lies with their stigmatization by the society. As a result, many cases of trafcking remain undisclosed. And fnally, many of the victims do not believe there could be a triumph of justice and therefore they do not see any sense in addressing the ofcial structures, so the fgures used by these struc- tures are rather approximate. 7 7. Cnd i cum a aprut trafcul de fine umane n Moldova? 7. When and how did the trafcking in human beings appear in Moldova? n Republica Moldova, trafcul de fine umane cunoate o nforire nea- teptat de furtunoas la rscrucea mileniilor doi i trei, odat cu cderea cortinei de fer dintre Est i Vest, destrmarea lagrului socialist, urmat de sucomba- rea Uniunii Sovietice. Pe acest fundal, Republica Moldova, spre regretul nostru, ajunge s se nscrie n topurile cele mai sumbre pe de o parte, pe ultimele locuri n numrul rilor cu cel mai nalt nivel de trai al populaiei, pe de alt par- te, printre lideri la asemenea indicatori cum este corupia i trafcul de fine umane. Astfel, chiar la rspntia mileniilor, potrivit unor date ale Organizaiei Internaionale pentru Migraie (OIM), din numrul total de victime ale traf- cului, readuse de OIM din Kosovo, 52% erau din Moldova; 60% din victimele readuse din Macedonia erau, de asemenea, fete tinere din republica noastr. Date asemntoare nregistra la acea perioad i Poliia Departamental de Frontier a Portului Maritim Odesa 80 la sut din fetele repatriate prin acest port din Turcia erau din Moldova. At the turn of the third Millennium, once the iron curtain between the East and West was lifed, the socialist camp ceased existing and the Soviet Union succumbed, the trafcking in human beings in the Republic of Moldova faced unexpectedly fortunate blooming. To our regret, taking of this foundation, the Re- public of Moldova fnds itself at the top of most somber ratings; on the one side ranking among the last in the list of countries featuring highest living standards and on the other side taking the lead by such indicators as corruption and trafcking in human beings. Tus, according to some data made available by the Interna- tional Organization for Migration, at the turn of Millennia, out of the total number of victims of trafcking returned by the IOM from Kos- ovo, 52 percent were from Moldova; 60 percent of the victims returned from Macedonia were also young girls from our country. Similar data were registered during the same time period by the Departmental Frontier Police of Odessa Port 80 percent of girls repatriated through this post from Turkey were Moldovan natives. 8 8. Care au fost premisele apariiei acestui fenomen la noi? 8. What was the background against which this phenomenon appeared in our country? Premisele mai relevante ale apariiei acestui fagel sunt unanim considerate situaia economic precar, n special a noilor state din spaiul ex-sovietic, iar n particular pentru Republica Moldova, o tranziie ndelungat la economia de pia- , secundat de pauperizarea populaiei din mediul rural i apariia omajului i migraiei ilegale. Lipsa unor strategii de reglementare a fenomenului migraie, precum i lipsa unor perspective clare de dezvoltare a businessului mic i mijlo- ciu n spaiul rural, fac n defnitiv ca o bun parte din populaia activ i apt de munc, att de la sate, ct i din orae, s apuce calea strintii. n aceast ordi- ne de idei, cifra ofcial care caracterizeaz Moldova la capitolul migraie a forei de munc indic circa 400 mii de oameni la nceputul mileniului trei (conform datelor Biroului Naional Migraiune din 2005), iar conform unui studiu realizat de Organizaia Internaional pentru Migraie aceast cifr se ridic la 600 mii de ceteni plecai, legal i ilegal, n cutarea unui loc de munc. O premis care trebuie luat serios n considerare este i lipsa oportunitilor de angajare n cmpul muncii (mai bine zis, a unui loc de munc bine pltit) pen- tru absolvenii instituiilor de nvmnt de toate gradele, ceea ce face ca tinerii s fe categoria cea mai afectat de pericolul trafcrii. Considered unanimously as a background against which this plague appeared was a pre- carious economic situation, especially such in the newly emerging post-Soviet period states and in particular in Moldova going through a lengthy period of transition to market econo- my, accompanied by pauperization of popula- tion from rural habitats and appearance of cer- tain phenomena knows as unemployment and illegal immigration. Lack of certain strategies to govern phenomenon of migration as well as lack of clear cut development perspectives for small and medium business in rural areas have lead to a situation in which a good share of able-bodied population in rural and urban areas went searching for a job abroad. To that end, the ofcial fgure describing the status of labor migration in Moldova at the onset of the third Millennium amounted to about 400 thousand (according to 2005 data provided by the National Bureau of Migration), while ac- cording to a study conducted by the Interna- tional Organization for Migration this fgure was 600 thousand of legal and illegal labor mi- grants searching for employment abroad. One of the pre-requisites which deserve to be most seriously considered lies with lack of employment opportunities (or better say lack of well paid job ofers) for graduates of all types of educational facilities of all levels, which places the young ones with the most trafcking afected category of population. 9 9. n ce ri sunt mai des trafcate fetele i femeile din Moldova? 9. In what countries Moldovan girls and women are trafcked most frequently? Potrivit datelor Centrului Internaional La Strada (dar i a partenerilor din domeniu), geografa trafcului de fine umane din Moldova este destul de variat i cuprinde mai multe ri, uneori cele mai neateptate coluri ale lumii. Astfel, dac n anii 1998-2001 majoritatea victimelor erau rentoarse n Moldova din regiunea balcanic (circa 90%), n anii 2002-2004 a crescut semnifcativ numrul victimelor trafcate/readuse din Orientul Apropiat i Mijlociu, Europa de Est, n topuri fgurnd Turcia, Rusia, Emiratele Arabe Unite, Cipru. n ultimii ani rutele trafcului de fine umane duc tot mai des spre Polonia, Ucraina, Israel, mai puin Europa Central. Studiind geografa sunetelor SOS de la Linia Fierbinte, desco- perim c victimele trafcului originare din Moldova au fost descoperite i n ri ca Albania, Austria, Belgia, Republica Ceh, Egipt, Frana, Georgia, Germania, Grecia, Italia, Portugalia, Romnia, Siria; fgureaz i asemenea ri ca Angola, Arabia Saudit, Bahrain, Elveia, Liban, Libia, Marea Britanie, Slovaca, Spania, SUA, Tadjikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ungaria n total peste 40 de ri. De la an la an, n baza de date a Centrului Internaional La Strada mai fgureaz de la 30 pn la 50 de cazuri de persoane disprute, despre care nu se tie nimic, dar am putea bnui c printre ele sunt i victime ale trafcului. According to the data available with the In- ternational Center La Strada (as well as such available with its partners), the geography of trafcking in human beings in case of Moldova is rather varied and encompasses many coun- tries sometimes in most unexpected corners of the world. If in 1998-2001 the majority of victims used to be returned back to Moldova from Balkan region (circa 90%), then in 2002- 2004 there was a notable raise in the number of victims trafcked/returned back home from Near- and Middle East, with Turkey, Russia, United Arab Emirates, and Cyprus ranked among the top. During the recent years the routes of trafcking in human beings are chan- neled towards Poland, Ukraine, Israel and less towards Central Europe. Studying the geogra- phy of SOS/hot-line calls one could fnd out that the victims of trafcking of Moldovan origin were found in such countries as Albania, Aus- tria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, and Syria, likewise mentioned are such countries as Angola, Saudi Arabia, Bah- rain, Switzerland, Lebanon, Libya, Great Brit- ain, Slovakia, Spain, USA, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, and Hungary overall in more than 40 countries. From year to year, the da- tabase maintained by the International Center La Strada encounters for 30 to 50 cases of lost persons with no news about them although one could not exclude that among these victims of trafcking could be as well. 10 10. Cte femei, fete tinere din Moldova au fost trafcate n aceti cinci ani? 10. How many young girls from Moldova were trafcked in the course of these fve years? Spre marele nostru regret, republica noastr nu dispune de o asemenea sta- tistic. Dei fgureaz n topuri, o baz de date, dar mai ales un mecanism unic de acumulare a informaiei despre victimele trafcului de fine umane nu exist din mai multe motive. Mecanism care ar ine cont de faptul c exist un decalaj dintre data identifcrii i cea a recrutrii victimei n trafc, precum i de faptul c unele victime accept asistena, altele nu, prefernd, din motive cunoscute, anonimatul. n plus, organizaiile care acord asisten i protecie victimelor in evidena fecare n formatul propriu, una i aceeai victim poate f asistat de mai multe organizaii i fgura repetat n statistici. Anume din acest motiv n prezent o confruntare a datelor acumulate de la diferite organizaii la nivel nai- onal este imposibil. Cu toate acestea, am putea intui dimensiunile fenomenului n Moldova n baza unor calcule, desigur, foarte aproximative. Analiznd cercetrile celor mai activi actori din domeniu OIM, Misiunea din Moldova, Centrul de Prevenire a Trafcului de Femei (CPTF), Centrul Internaional La Strada i innd cont de faptul c circa 70 la sut din totalul persoanelor trafcate rmn nedescoperite, am putea estima c anual n Republica Moldova sunt trafcate de la 500 pn la 1500 de persoane. To our greatest regret, no such statistics is being maintained in our country. Although ranking at the top of lists, due to a number of reasons there is no database and no unifed mechanism to approach data collection on the victims of trafcking in human beings. Te is also no mechanism allowing to keep a track of the fact that there is a gap between the date of identifcation and date of recruitment of the victim of trafcking as well as of the fact that some victims accept assistance while the oth- ers reject it, preferring anonymity the mo- tives being well known. Besides, organizations rendering assistance and protection to victims use their own formats of maintaining record; one and the same victim could get assistance from a number of organizations and appear repeatedly in the statistical reporting. Due to this very motive reconciliation of data at the national level does not seem to be practically realizable. Despite of all that we could infer the di- mensions of this phenomenon in Moldova on the basis of some estimates, though rather ap- proximate. Analyzing researches conducted by the most active players in this area, such as IOM Mission in Moldova, the Center to Prevent Trafcking in Women (CPTF), the International Center La Strada and bearing in mind the fact that about 70 percent of the total trafcked persons remain unidentifed we could estimate that trafcked annually in the Republic of Moldova are from 500 to 1500 persons. 11 11. Cine sunt victimele, ce vrst au i din ce medii provin? 11. Who are the victims, what is their age and social environment? Trafcul de fine umane a afectat mai toate vrstele. Conform datelor noastre, care cuprind o perioad de peste cinci ani, cea mai tnr victim, la momentul racolrii, avea 4 ani, iar cea mai n vrst 60 de ani. Cele mai multe victime sunt din mediul rural (circa 48%), dup care vin locuitorii oraelor mici sau suburbii- lor (30%) i populaia din mediul urban (22%). n ultimii ani, printre victimele trafcului fgureaz tot mai des brbaii. Chiar dac ei apeleaz foarte rar la serviciile noastre, noi deducem acest lucru din ape- lurile rudelor la Linia Fierbinte. Cel mai des brbaii sunt exploatai n construc- ii (Rusia) i la lucrri agricole (Ucraina, Romnia). Cercetrile noastre scot la iveal un alt fapt alarmant trafcul de fine uma- ne afecteaz tot mai mult minorii (persoane mai tinere de 18 ani). Dac ntre 1998-2000 numrul copiilor afectai de trafc constituia n medie 10% din tota- lul victimelor, apoi ntre 2001-2004 acest indiciu era de 15%. Putem spune chiar c fecare a aptea victim este copil. Mai grav este c circa 77% din numrul minorilor sunt supui exploatrii sexuale, dup care vine (n cretere continu) exploatarea n cerit (Rusia, Polonia). Trafcking in human beings afected al- most all age categories. According to our own data compiled over the period of more than fve years, the youngest victim was 4 years old and the oldest was 60. Te majority of victims are coming from rural habitats (about 48%) fol- lowed by residents of small towns or suburbs (30%) and urban residents (22%). In the recent years, more and more men ap- pear among the victims of trafcking. Despite of the fact that they would rather rarely appeal to our services we deduce such data from the statements made by their relatives calling on Hot Line. In most of the cases they would be exploited for construction works (Russia), or for agricultural works (Ukraine, Romania). Our researches helped to reveal yet another alarming fact, i.e. trafcking in human beings is now spreading and afects more and more the minor ones (persons under the age of 18). If during 1998-2000 the number of children afected by trafcking amounted on the aver- age to 10 percent of total victims, then in 2001- 2004 it went up to 15%. Actually, every seventh victim is a child. More disappointing is the fact that about 77% of minor children are forced into sexual exploitation, followed by (continu- ously growing) exploitation through begging (Russia, Poland). 12 12. Exist vreo legtur ntre relaiile din familie i riscul trafcrii? 12. Is there a link between relations in the family and risk of trafcking? Putem afrma c riscul trafcrii, n special al tinerelor i minorilor, este direct proporional cu situaia familial. Statistica demonstreaz c att orfanii, ct i copiii din familiile incomplete fac parte din grupul cu risc sporit. Istoriile vieii persoanelor trafcate arat c 30 la sut din numrul lor total sunt orfani i-au pierdut un printe sau ambii n copilrie sau adolescen, iar 27 la sut provin din familii incomplete (monoparentale). Atunci cnd copiii rmn fr tutela printeasc, ei devin o prad mai uoar pentru trafcani. Or, dup absolvirea colii-internat ei se trezesc ntr-un abandon social nu au cu cine se sftui atunci cnd decid s plece peste hotare, iar dac dispar, nu are cine i cuta. Din pcate, n reelele trafcanilor ajung i muli minori din familii complete. n aceste cazuri motivele acceptrii unor oferte dubioase de plecare peste hotare sunt relaiile cu prinii, violena din familie, iar n cazul adulilor relaiile dintre soi. Peste 70 la sut dintre femeile care au suferit de pe urma trafcului n anii 1998-2004 au confrmat c anterior au fost supuse violenei, de cele mai dese ori n familie. Lipsa nelegerii reciproce, prezena violenei psihologice sau fzice este pentru victimele trafcului un puternic factor declanator n acceptarea ofertei de plecare peste hotare. One could state that the risk of trafcking, especially in case of young and minor ones, is directly proportional to the situation in the family. Te statistics shows that the orphans as well as children from incomplete families are making part of an enhanced risk group. Life histories of trafcked persons show that 30 percent of total are orphans who lost one or both parents in their childhood or adoles- cence, while 27 percent are coming from the incomplete families (monoparental families). When children remain without parental tu- torship they immediately become easy prey for the trafckers. Else, afer graduation from boarding school they fnd themselves in a so- cial abandon with no one to get advice from when they decide to go abroad and in case they disappear no one would care or search them. Regrettably, but getting into the network of trafckers are many children from complete families. In such cases the motives underly- ing acceptance of rather dubious ofers of go- ing abroad are poor relations with the parents, violence in the family, and in case of adults the motive would be poor relations between the spouses. Over 70 percent of women that had to sufer from the consequences of trafcking in 1998-2004 have acknowledged that in their past they were subjected to violence, most of the time in the family. Lack of reciprocal un- derstanding, outbursts of psychological or physical violence for the victims of trafcking is a powerful triggering factor making them accept the ofer of going abroad. 13 13. Am putea presupune c riscul trafcrii mai depinde i de nivelul de educaie, studii? 13. Could we assume that, inter alia, the risk associated with trafcking also depends on the level of education/schooling? ntr-adevr, victime ale trafcului devin n temei fetele i femeile tinere cu un nivel sczut de educaie. De cele mai dese ori ele abia dac izbutesc s obin stu- dii generale obligatorii, nu posed nici o profesie, ceea ce le face absolut necom- petitive pe piaa muncii. Cercetrile La Strada denot c 36% din persoanele trafcate au absolvit coala de cultur general, 23% au absolvit 8 clase (anterior studii medii incomplete, certifcate cu atestat); alte 17% au absolvit 9 clase (an- terior sub nivelul obligatoriu), iar 13% nu au acte de studii (nu au absolvit nici mcar 9 clase). Victime ale trafcului devin uneori i tinerele cu un nivel de educaie mai nalt studente sau absolvente ale instituiilor de nvmnt superior. Pentru racola- rea lor sunt utilizate metode mai avansate: reeaua Internet (anunuri despre po- sibilitatea de a face cunotin i de a se cstori cu un cetean strin), sistemul au-pair (ddac-student) . a. Din cercetrile partenerilor notri mai afm c, n unele pri ale lumii, fe- meile cu intelect nalt sunt supuse unui risc sporit, deoarece la ele acas posibili- tile de angajare n cmpul muncii sunt foarte limitate i ele se af n cutarea altor oportuniti. Really, becoming victims of trafcking are basically girls and young women with rather low level of education. In the majority of cases they have hardly made it through mandatory general education and have no trade, which makes them absolutely uncompetitive in the labor market. Researches conducted by the International Center La Strada indicate that 36% of trafcked persons have graduated from schools of general culture, 23% have 8-years of schooling (in the past incomplete secondary education confrmed by graduation certifcate); 17% have 9 years of schooling (in the past was part of mandatory education level), while 13% have no schooling confrmation certifcates (have less than 8 or 9 years of schooling). Sometimes becoming victims of trafck- ing are young girls with higher level of educa- tion, i.e. university students or graduates. Used for their recruitment are more sophisticated methods, such as Internet (acquaintance/dat- ing announcements and ofers of marriage to a foreigner), au-pair system (student-babysitter), etc. From researches conducted by our part- ners we learn that in some parts of the world women with special intellect are subjected to an enhanced risk since their chances of getting employed are limited and it makes them search for other opportunities. 14 14. Cine, cum i ce ar trebui s ntreprind pentru a diminua trafcul n Moldova? 14. Who, how and what shall be attempted in order to lower the risk of trafcking in Moldova? La modul ideal, contracararea trafcului de fine umane ar trebui s fe o preocupare a ntregii comuniti de la simplii ceteni, pn la prima persoan din stat, ntruct consecinele lui sunt dintre cele mai dezastruoase pentru ntreaga societate. Primele care ar trebui s-i intensifce eforturile de combatere a acestei infraciuni sunt organele de drept. Cu toate msurile legislative i operative ntreprinse n ultimii ani de autoriti, efectul aplicrii legii fa de reelele de trafcani sunt nc puin vizibile. n opinia noas- tr, fa de trafcani i protagonitii comerului cu fine umane se aplic msuri de pe- deaps incoerente i inefciente. ntr-un raport al Departamentului de Stat al SUA (pen- tru anul 2005) se arat c dei Direcia de Combatere a Trafcului de Persoane din cadrul MAI din Republica Moldova n 2005 a intentat 274 de dosare pe cazuri de trafc, instan- ele de judecat au condamnat doar 16 persoane pentru aceast infraciune i 7 pentru trafc de copii, dintre care doar 13 au fost pedepsite cu privaiune de libertate de la 2 la 16 ani. Judectorii reduc adesea acuzaiile de trafc la cele de proxenetism, aplicnd pedepse mai mici. Deocamdat guvernarea nu a devenit vioara nti n lupta cu trafcul, cednd cele mai multe iniiative organizaiilor neguvernamentale i celor internaionale. Rmne nc indiferent i pasiv fa de aceast problem i comunitatea local. n baza unor tradiii i prejudeci autohtone, populaia mai degrab stigmatizeaz victi- mele, dect condamn trafcanii, fapt ce diminueaz eforturile de reintegrare social a primelor i faciliteaz tacit libertatea n aciuni a celor din urm. In the ideal case, counteracting trafcking in human beings shall become preoccupation of the entire community starting with ordinary citizens and up to the president of the country since the consequences of trafcking are most disastrous for the whole society. Te law enforce- ment bodies shall be the frst to step up their ef- forts in combating this ofence. Despite all the legislative and operative measures attempted by the government authorities at the extent of the recent years, the efect of applying the law to the network of trafckers are hardly visible. We share the opinion that the punitive measures applied to the trafckers and protagonists of trading in hu- man beings are rather incoherent and inefcient. From the report prepared by the US Department of State (for 2005) it follows that although in 2005 the Department for Combating Trafcking in Persons within the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Moldova instituted 274 cases of traf- fcking, the courts have convicted only 16 culprits for trafcking in persons and 7 for trafcking in children, out of which only 13 were imprisoned for a term of 2 to 16 years. Te judges very ofen reduce the number of convictions for trafcking to convictions for trading in prostitution, dimin- ishing the punishment. Still, the government fails to play the frst fddle in combating trafcking while assigning most of the initiatives to non gov- ernmental and international organizations. Likewise, the local community remains in- diferent and inactive in regard to this problem. Arising from long-standing traditions and local prejudices population would rather stigmatize the victims than condemn the trafckers, which fact is cutting short any eforts targeted towards social reintegration of the frst and tacitly facili- tates freedom of action of the second. 15 15. Care ar f aciunile pentru combaterea trafcului n lume? 15. What actions shall be taken in order to combat trafcking worldwide? n opinia mai multor specialiti, pe plan internaional statele ar trebui s substitu- ie politicile restrictive din sfera migraiei forei de munc cu acorduri de colaborare i protejare a drepturilor emigranilor strini, migraia ilegal, asociat trafcului de fine umane, cu migraia legal i libera circulaie a cetenilor n spiritul respectrii dreptu- rilor fundamentale ale omului. Trebuie s recunoatem, de asemenea, c deocamdat eforturile organizaiilor inter- naionale i structurilor interstatale n contracararea fenomenului se rezum la activiti de prevenire, educative i lichidare a consecinelor trafcului preponderent n rile de origine i de tranziie a trafcului, i mai puin n cele de destinaie, unde exist cererea pentru acest business criminal. n rile de destinaie nc nu a devenit o prioritate com- baterea cererii comerului cu fine umane, pedepsirea trafcanilor. Dimpotriv, aciu- nile guvernelor din aceste ri se ndreapt adesea mpotriva victimelor, care de cele mai dese ori sunt emigrani din rile n curs de dezvoltare n cutarea unui loc de munc i a mijloacelor materiale pentru asigurarea bunstrii familiilor lor. Astfel, victimele ajung s suporte o dubl victimizare, un jug dublu cel al exploatrii sexuale i de alt tip din partea reelelor de trafcani i cel al discriminrii din partea legislaiilor naionale afate n contradicie cu dreptul internaional. n sfrit, deoarece aceast crim este una transnaional, ar f binevenit o mai bun colaborare ntre structurile chemate s o combat din diferite ri, inclusiv n cadrul unor asemenea structuri ca INTERPOL i EUROPOL. As believed by many specialists and arising from the international standpoint the countries shall replace their restrictive policies in the feld of labor migration by cooperation agreements and ensure protection of the rights for the foreign emigrants; likewise they should make provisions for replacing illegal migration associated with trafcking in human beings by legal migration and free movement of labor in the spirit of ob- servance of the fundamental human rights. It is also necessary to recognize that so far the eforts attempted by the international organiza- tions as well as by the multinational structures in counteracting the phenomenon is basically con- fned to prevention, education and liquidation of consequences of trafcking preponderantly in the countries of origin and transit of trafcking and to a lesser extent in target countries where there is a demand for this criminal business. Combating demand for trading in human beings and punish- ing the trafckers has not yet become a priority in the target countries. Quite the contrary, ofen the actions of the governments in these countries are actually aimed against victims who in the ma- jority of cases are the emigrants from developing countries searching for a job and material benefts to provide for the welfare of their families. As a result, the victims end up to bear double victimi- zation, double yoke sexual and other types of exploitation exerted by the trafckers as well as discriminatory treat admitted by the national leg- islation coming in contradiction with the inter- national legislation. And fnally, since this crime is a transnational one it will be appropriate to es- tablish better cooperation between the structures qualifed to combat such in diferent countries, including through such structures as INTERPOL and EUROPOL. 16 16. Cum sunt pedepsii trafcanii n Moldova? 16. How are the trafckers punished in Moldova? Judecnd dup publicaiile n mass-media, trebuie s recunoatem c n ultimii ani n Republica Moldova combaterea trafcului i pedepsirea trafcanilor cpt un caracter tot mai transparent. Iar dac ne referim la cifre, vom constata c n primele nou luni ale anului curent angajaii Centrului pentru Combaterea Tra- fcului de Persoane (CCTP) au nregistrat o cretere cu 27 la sut, comparativ cu anul precedent, a cazurilor de trafc descoperite. n perioada de referin poliitii de la CCTP au instrumentat 396 de dosare, dintre care 59 sunt cazuri de trafc cu minori, n mare parte fete de pn la 18 ani. Poliia a mai depistat 36 fliere de traf- cani, dintre care cele mai multe (23) racolau femei n scopul exploatrii sexuale. n prima jumtate a anului 2006 instanele de judecat au pronunat sentine de condamnare pentru 87 de persoane, care au practicat trafcarea cetenilor mol- doveni peste hotarele republicii n diverse scopuri (n 2005 au fost condamnate 23 persoane). Ar mai f s precizm c victimele trafcului sunt absolvite, n condiiile legisla- iei n vigoare, de rspundere penal, contravenional sau civil pentru aciunile svrite n legtur cu statutul de victim, dac aceste aciuni cad sub incidena Codului penal, Codului cu privire la contraveniile administrative sau a Codului civil. Judging by the publications appearing in mass media one shall recognize that during the recent years combat of trafcking and punish- ment of trafckers in the Republic of Moldova becomes more transparent. While making reference to fgures it shall be noticed that in the frst nine months of the current year the employees of the Center to Combat Trafck- ing in Persons (CCTP) reported a 27 percent increase in disclosure of trafcking cases as compared to the last year. During the reported period police ofcers with CCTP have fled 396 lawsuits, out of which 59 are cases of trafck- ing in minors, predominantly girls younger than 18. Te police ofcers have also discov- ered 36 channels of trafcking out of which 23 were recruiting women for the scope of sexual exploitation. In the frst half of 2006 the courts convicted 87 persons dealing in trafcking of Moldovan citizens for diverse scopes (in 2005 convicted were only 23 persons). It is also worth noticing that the victims of trafcking under provisions set forth by the efective legislation are freed from criminal, administrative or civil responsibility for the actions committed in connection with their status of a victim if such actions fall under the incidence of provisions stipulated by the Civil Code, Code of Administrative Contravention or Civil Code. 17 17. Care este structura Centrului Internaional La Strada i cum i edifc strategia de activitate? 17. What is the structure of the International Centre La Strada and how does it develop its activity strategy? La Strada-Moldova i desfoar activitatea n baza Protocolului privind prevenirea, reprimarea i pedepsirea trafcului de persoane, n special a femei- lor i copiilor, adiional Conveniei ONU mpotriva criminalitii transnaionale organizate. Echipa Centrului trateaz problema trafcului de fine umane ca o nclcare grav a drepturilor omului, orientndu-i eforturile spre contracararea fenomenului n Republica Moldova prin aciuni de prevenire, asisten i lobby. n acest context, considerm ca principii eseniale respectarea dreptului oric- rei persoane de a lua decizii proprii privind viaa personal, acordarea asistenei adecvate i efciente persoanelor trafcate, susinerea capacitii acestora de a-i proteja drepturile. n lucrul cu victimele trafcului i persoanele din grupul de risc considerm, de asemenea, un principiu de baz confdenialitatea, securita- tea, nevictimizarea i nediscriminarea lor. Anume acestor imperative vine s rspund i structura Centrului Internai- onal La Strada, constituit din trei subdiviziuni Centrul de Analiz i Lob- by, Centrul de Resurse, Centrul de Contact, precum i o unitate aparte Linia Fierbinte. Dei fecare subdiviziune are un itinerar propriu de activitate, ele se af ntr-o colaborare interdependent, toate mpreun constituind o echip mul- tidisciplinar, gata s rspund celor mai noi provocri din domeniu. La Strada - Moldova displays its activity on the grounds of a Protocol on the prevention, repression and punishment of trafcking in persons, especially women and children, sup- plementary to the United Nations Convention organized transborder crimes. Te team of the Centre is treating the human being trafcking issue as a grave violation of human rights and is focusing on counteracting this phenomenon in the Republic of Moldova through preven- tion, assistance and lobbying actions. Under this context, we believe that the core principles are confned to respecting any persons right to take independent decisions in his/her private life, to grant adequate and efcient assistance to trafcked persons and to enhance their ca- pacities of protecting their rights. We also be- lieve, that while displaying our activity with the victims of trafcking and such from risk groups, one need to ensure strict observance of such core principles as confdentiality, safety, inadmissibility of victimization and non dis- crimination. Te International Centre La Strada is trying to respond to all these challenges. Te International Centre La Strada comprises three subdivisions Resource Center, Contact Centre, and Analysis and Lobbying Centre as well of a separately standing unit Hot Line. Although each subdivision has its own agenda of activities, we pursue the spirit of close recip- rocal cooperation to act as multiprofle team ready to respond to the any challenges appear- ing in the domain. 18 18. Care este menirea Centrului de Analiz i Lobby? Centrul de Analiz i Lobby este o subdiviziune mai nou, de competena creia ine cercetarea i monitorizarea fenomenului trafc de persoane din Repu- blica Moldova, din alte ri i regiuni, analiza factorilor de infuen, elaborarea recomandrilor practice, acumularea informaiei privind teoria i bunele practici n domeniul contracarrii trafcului de persoane, schimbul de informaii cu ali participani la combaterea fenomenului i diseminarea informaiei. Tot aici se n- scriu expertiza, participarea la elaborarea actelor normative privind combaterea fenomenului, propuneri de mbuntire, benefciari find factorii de dezvoltare a politicilor/strategiilor i factorii de decizie, administraia public local, gru- purile profesionale (guvernamentale i neguvernamentale), comunitatea inter- naional n domeniul antitrafc. Centrul de Analiz i Lobby vine s fac o sintez a legturii dintre subdi- viziuni, ce se materializeaz prin schimbul i utilizarea informaiei din cadrul departamentelor n vederea elaborrii/adaptrii metodicilor, materialelor de prevenire, dezvoltrii parteneriatelor cu structurile de stat, ONG-urile naionale i internaionale, toate acestea scontnd consolidarea eforturilor de prevenire a trafcului de fine umane, sensibilizarea publicului larg i a factorilor de decizie, orientate spre soluii efciente de contracarare a fenomenului. 18. What is the role of the Analysis and Lobbying Centre? Te Analysis and Lobbying Centre is a newly created subdivision having its compe- tences confned to investigation and monitor- ing phenomenon of trafcking in persons in the Republic of Moldova as well as from other regions, analysis of factors infuencing the process; it also our responsibility to draf prac- tical recommendations, compile information on the theory and best practices in counteract- ing trafcking in persons, exchange of infor- mation with other participants and dissemina- tion of such. Making part of the same package are such activities as expertise, participation in drafing regulatory acts on combating this phenomenon, and submitting suggestion on their improvement. Te benefciaries are the ofcials developing the policies/strategies and decision makers, local public administration authorities, professional groups (government and non government) and anti trafcking in- ternational community. Te Analysis and Lobbying Centre is pro- viding a summary of links between the subdi- visions, which takes the form of sharing and using information within the departments in regard to drafing/adjusting methodologies, prevention advise materials, development of partnerships with the government authorities, national and international NGOs. All these measures being targeted towards consolida- tion of eforts to prevent trafcking in human beings, raising public and decision makers awareness on this issue, focusing on efcient solutions designed to counteract the phenom- enon. 19 19. Cum i realizeaz obiectivele de colarizare Centrul de Resurse? 19. How is the Resource Center implementing its training objectives? Pentru a ajunge cu mesajele corespunztoare la benefciari, Centrul de Resurse utilizeaz urmtoarele instrumente: Linia Fierbinte 0 800 77777, care funcioneaz nentrerupt, 24 din 24 ore; ctre 1 noiembrie 2006 Linia Fierbinte nregistra peste 19 600 de apeluri telefonice. Grup mobil de educatori de la egal la egal; pn n toamna lui 2006 au fost des- furate peste 1 600 de seminare informative i instructive pentru mai bine de 40 mii de benefciari. Program de optimizare a capacitilor naionale de prevenire a trafcului i a migraiei ilegale (pedagogi, reprezentani ai ONG-urilor, mass-media, poliiti, preoi); numai n perioada ianuarie 2002 noiembrie 2006, peste 2500 specia- liti din republic au benefciat de instruire specializat n domeniul prevenirii trafcului de fine umane; au fost distribuite peste 20 000 exemplare de mate- riale didactice, suporturi metodice. Materiale informative i de prevenire mai mult de 100 000 exemplare. Pagina WEB www.lastrada.md i o bibliotec cu circa 500 de titluri. Centrul de Resurse mai include i o echip de voluntari, care permite desf- urarea unor campanii informative netradiionale (caravane muzicale, discoteci, concursuri de creaie cu tematic antitrafc). In order to better convey the message to the benefciaries the Resource Center is making use of the following instruments: Te Hot Line 0 800 77777, which can be accessed 24 hours a day; since November 1, 2006, the Hot Line recorded 19 600 phone calls. A Mobile group of trainers from equal to equal; since the fall of 2006, 1600 information and instructive workshops were displayed for more than 40 000 benefciaries. Program for optimizing the national capacities to prevent trafcking and illegal migration (teachers, NGO representatives, mass media, politicians, priests); within the period from January 2002 through November 2006, more than 2500 specialists from the Republic of Moldova benefted from specialized training in the feld of prevention of trafcking in human beings; handed over were more than 20 000 copies of educational materials and methodologi- cal guidelines; Information and prevention materials more than 100 000 copies. WEB page www.lastrada.md and a library comprising more than 500 titles. Te capacities of the Resource Centre, which also include a group of volunteers, permit to organize diferent non traditional information campaigns (musical caravans, discos, creativity contests on anti trafcking subject). 20 20. Cui i ce fel de servicii presteaz Centrul de Contact? 20. What kind of services is the Contact Centre rendering and to whom? Benefciarii direci ai Centrului de Contact (CC) sunt, la nivel primar, victimele trafcului de fine umane, iar la nivel secundar grupurile profesionale ce lucreaz cu victimele trafcului (lucrtori sociali, psihologi, medici, juriti, lucrtori ai poliiei etc.). Dintre tipurile de servicii acordate de CC cele dinti sunt identifcarea victimelor trafcului de fine umane, evaluarea riscurilor i necesitilor acestora n scopul facili- tii accesului la asistena specializat. Dup care urmeaz diverse pachete individuale de asisten direct sau prin referite la un prestator de servicii specializate, n funcie de caz. n acest sens, pachetul de servicii este foarte variat i include asisten de recu- perare din locul de exploatare pn la lucrul cu familia persoanelor trafcate. Centrul de Contact mai practic un tip de asisten urgent n form de ajutoare umanitare (acoperirea costurilor de asisten medical, juridic, psihologic etc.), de care au be- nefciat timp de cinci ani peste 500 victime ale trafcului i rudele acestora. Pentru grupurile profesionale CC dispune de programe de consolidare a capacit- ilor i module de instruire (standard i individuale) pentru diferite categorii profesio- nale (asisteni sociali, funcionari ai ageniilor de ocupare a forei de munc, reprezen- tani ai misiunilor diplomatice, poliiti, preoi; n total au fost instruii n numr de peste 500). Tot la capitolul capaciti ar f s atribuim i un numr impuntor de mate- riale didactice, suporturi metodice, culegeri de bune practici (peste 4000 exemplare). Te frst tier benefciaries of the Contact Center (CC) are: victims of trafcking in hu- man beings and the second tier professional groups working with the victims of trafck- ing (social workers, psychologists, physicians, lawyers, policemen, etc.). Te types of services provided by the Center include primarily the identifcation of the victims of trafcking in human beings, evaluation of their needs so as to facilitate their access to the specialized assistance. Depending on the case, this is be- ing followed by all types of direct assistance individual packages or by the referral to spe- cialized service providers. In this sense the services package is rater varied and includes rehabilitation assistance, starting from work in the location of victims exploitation and up to carrying out work with the family of trafcked persons. Te Contact Center is also practicing urgent assistance in the form of humanitarian aid (covering expenses incurred with medical, legal, psychological assistance, etc). During fve years more than 500 persons, victims of trafcking and their relatives benefted from this type of assistance. For the professional groups the Center is able to provide programs and training mod- ules for building up their professional capaci- ties (standard and adjusted to required design) for diferent professional categories (social as- sistants, employment agencies ofcials, repre- sentatives of diplomatic missions, police, and priests; the total number of persons trained through the center amounted to more than 500). On the issue of building up capacities one could mention impressive number of training materials, methodological aides, best practices collection (more than 4000 copies). 21 21. Cum ajung victimele trafcului n atenia specialitilor La Strada i ce se ntmpl cu ele ulterior? 21. How the victims of trafcking are getting in the attention of La Strada specialists and what follows once they get identifed? De regul, victimele ajung n vizorul Centrului Internaional La Strada fe prin intermediul Liniei Fierbini, fe find referite de organele de poliie sau de alte ONG-uri parteneri. Paii ulteriori ai specialitilor La Strada depind de necesi- tile imediat identifcate dac persoana este n captivitate, atunci sunt iniiate msuri de recuperare i repatriere a ei n colaborare cu organele de drept; dac persoana a revenit n ar, atunci asistena imediat de obicei include medierea n obinerea serviciilor medicale, psihologice, instruire profesional, plasarea n cmpul muncii etc. n colaborare cu serviciile de protecie social, organizaiile active n domeniu. Ulterior, specialitii de la Centrul de Contact monitorizeaz soarta victimelor pe parcursul unei perioade mai ndelungate. Pn n prezent Centrul Internaional La Strada a acumulat o baz de date cu 300 cazuri de trafc. n destinele acestor conceteni, devenii victime ale comerului contem- poran cu sclavi, se refect, ca ntr-o oglind, ntregul spectru de probleme ale trafcului de fine umane din Moldova. As a rule, the victims are getting in the at- tention of the International Center La Strada either by calling Hot Line or through such re- ferrals as made by the police or NGOs. Spe- cialists of La Strada proceed to take next steps depending on the identifed needs if a person is in captivity then rehabilitation and repatria- tion measures apply in cooperation with the law enforcement authorities; if a person is back to the country then medical assistance is be- ing granted, which usually includes advise on getting specialized medical and psychological services, professional training, carrier guid- ance, etc., in cooperation with social security authorities and international organizations acting in this domain. Subsequently, the spe- cialists of the Center conduct monitoring of these persons and follow up on further devel- opment of their destiny. Until presently, the International Center La Strada has managed to compile database on 300 cases of trafcking. Pitiful destines of our citizens who became vic- tims of modern day trade in slavery serve as a refection of a wide spectrum of problems ex- isting in Moldova, associated with the trafck- ing in human beings. 22 22. Exist careva condiii pe care victimele trebuie s le ndeplineasc pentru a benefcia de un anumit tip de asisten? 22. Are there any conditions that the victims should meet in order to beneft from a certain type of assistance? Se cuvine s precizm, c potrivit Principiilor Standard ale drepturilor omu- lui privind tratamentul persoanelor trafcate, acordarea asistenei nu trebuie s depind de faptul dac victima este gata sau nu s dea depoziii n procesul penal. Accesul la sistemul de justiie este un drept, i nicidecum o obligaie a ceteanu- lui. Dac persoana care a suferit de pe urma trafcului de fine umane nu dorete s benefcieze de drepturile ei privind accesul la justiie, ea nu trebuie s fe priva- t de dreptul la alte tipuri de asisten i sprijin din partea societii. n general, Centrul de Contact opereaz cu un pachet standard de servicii, ns benefciarii sunt n drept s accepte acele tipuri de asisten i n acel volum, pe care l consider de cuviin. Ca urmare, pachetul standard se transform n unul individual, inndu-se seama de nevoile benefciarului concret. It is worth mentioning that according to the International Human Rights Principles in regard to trafcked persons granting of assist- ance should not depend on the fact whether the person is prepared or not to testify in the course of a criminal trial. Access to the judi- ciary system is one of the fundamental rights rather than obligation of a citizen. If a person who sufered as a result of trafcking in human beings doesnt want to beneft from his/her rights of access to justice, he/she should not be deprived of the right to beneft from other types of assistance and support ofered by the society. In general, the Contact Centre operates with a standard package of services and the benefciaries are entitled to accept those serv- ices in such amounts as they fnd appropriate. As a consequence, the standard package is be- ing converted into individual one while taking into account the actual needs experienced by the respective benefciary. 23 23. Cum este realizat practic asistena persoanelor trafcate? 23. How is the assistance to trafcked persons rendered in practice? Asistenta se realizeaz printr-un mecanism de referin n parteneriat cu or- ganizaiile de profl, conform unei scheme deja verifcate. n acest context, Cen- trul de Contact dispune de o baz de date cu actori naionali ce numr circa 100 organizaii i alta cu actori internaionali (peste 800 de organizaii din 78 de ri ale lumii). Contactul cu victimele este ntreinut n permanen prin intermediul Liniei Fierbini naionale 0 800 77777 (cu apel gratuit pe ntreg teritoriul Repu- blicii Moldova), n acest fel asigurndu-se un acces operativ la ajutorul necesar, dar i consiliere psihologic, asisten indirect/informaional victimelor traf- cului i rudelor acestora. Un alt instrument prin care se realizeaz practic asistena victimelor traf- cului este i o echip multidisciplinar mobil, care se poate deplasa, la prima solicitare, n teren pentru a monitoriza sau redireciona asistena. n ultimii doi ani echipa mobil a avut circa 60 de ieiri n teren, asistnd n total peste 300 de cazuri. Te assistance is rendered through a refer- ence mechanism in partnership with other or- ganizations of diferent profle on the basis of a well established procedure. Under this context, the Contact Center maintains database, which includes national key players around 1000 organizations and international key players (more than 800 organizations from 78 coun- tries around the world). Te contact with vic- tims is permanently maintained through the national Hot Line 0 800 77777 (free national calls in the Republic of Moldova), which pro- vides for operative access to required assistance and psychological counseling, indirect/infor- mation assistance to the victims of trafcking and their relatives. Another instrument used to render prac- tical assistance to the victims of trafcking is such service as granted by the mobile multi- profle team, which had the capacity to respond instantaneously and taking a feld trip so as to monitor and retarget the assistance. At the ex- tent of the last 2 years, this mobile team made around 60 feld trips and rendered assistance in more than 300 cases. 24 24. Cum se integreaz n societate victimele trafcului, cum le accept comunitatea? 24. How did the victims of trafcking get integrated in the society, how are they treated/accepted by the society? Problema reabilitrii i reintegrrii victimelor n societate este una dintre cele mai importante n contextul trafcului de fine umane. Un studiu realizat de La Strada n toamna anului 2005 demonstreaz c circa 80% din persoanele traf- cate sunt respinse de familie, iar 70 la sut dintre acestea sunt respinse de comu- nitatea din care fac parte i nu benefciaz de asistena adecvat. Acest lucru, pe de o parte, mpovreaz mult procesul de reabilitate i reintegrare, iar pe de alta, complic procesul de pedepsire a trafcanilor. Victimele cad prad unor depresii profunde i nencrederii totale n structurile abilitate s le protejeze i s le acorde asisten. Ca urmare, unele dintre ele revin n trafc. Ar f de remarcat c n ultimii ani n Republica Moldova se profleaz un ir de msuri pentru ameliorarea situaiei la acest capitol. Astfel, din 2001 Organizaia Internaional pentru Migraie, misiunea din Moldova, gestioneaz un Centru de Reabilitare, care ofer victimelor trafcului i copiilor acestora, minorilor ne- nsoii i persoanelor expuse riscului trafcrii adpost temporar cu mediu sigur i prietenos, asisten i consiliere psihologic, asisten social, medical, juri- dic, precum i programe educaionale, activiti recreative etc. Deseori, Centrul este primul punct de contact n Moldova pentru persoanele trafcate, care revin acas dup ce au trecut printr-o experien groaznic n strintate. Te problem of rehabilitation and reinte- gration of victims in the society is one of the most important in the context of trafcking in human beings. Te study made by La Strada in the fall of 2005 showed that 80% of trafcked persons were rejected by the family while 70% of are rejected by the community from which they come and they do not beneft on adequate assistance. Tis fact makes the process of re- habilitation and reintegration rather difcult and it also complicates the process of trafck- ers punishment. Te victims get into deepest depression and loose their confdence in the structures meant to protect them and grant assistance. Tey do not see any perspective in the future and some of them get back into the vicious circle of repeated trafcking. It is worth mention, that during the recent years a number of actions were undertaken in Moldova with the scope of improving the situ- ation in this area. Since 2001, the mission of the International Organization for Migration in Moldova is managing a Rehabilitation Center, which ofers to victims of trafcking and their children as well as to minor abandoned chil- dren and persons exposed to the risk of traf- fcking a temporary asylum with a safe and friendly environment, psychological assistance and counseling, social, medical and legal as- sistance, as well as educational programs and other recreation activities. Very ofen, this Center is the frst contact point for the traf- fcked persons who come home afer they went through terrible migration events and trafck- ing in human beings. 25 25. De ce este foarte complicat s identifci o persoan trafcat? 25. Why is it so complicated to identify a trafcked person? Identifcarea victimelor trafcului este ntr-adevr destul de anevoioas. Ade- sea cei care au suferit, afndu-se pe teritoriul unui stat strin n cutarea unui loc de munc, ezit s apeleze la poliie, de fric s nu fe sancionai pentru nclca- rea legislaiei acestui stat. n plus, ei nu au ncredere n structurile ofciale, nu-i cunosc drepturile i posibilitatea de a primi ajutorul necesar. De multe ori trau- ma psihologic nu le permite victimelor s contientizeze ceea ce li s-a ntmplat i s ntreprind pai coreci. Lucru care se soldeaz cu etichetarea lor doar ca emigrai ilegali pe piaa de muncii la negru. n acelai timp, persoanele trafcate adesea mai sunt tratate de reprezentaii organelor de drept nu ca victime, ci ca persoane ce au nclcat legea, find supuse reinerii administrative, amenzilor, deportrii. Traumelor i suferinelor din tra- fc li se adaug noi probleme n urma contactului cu organele de drept. n aceste cazuri, victimelor, private de asistena i sprijinul necesar, le este foarte greu s revin pe fgaul unei viei normale. Chiar dac reuesc s scape de controlul trafcanilor, uneori ele nimeresc din nou n reeaua lor. Astfel, identifcarea vic- timelor trafcului de fine umane e necesar, nainte de toate, chiar pentru pro- tecia drepturilor lor. Te identifcation of trafcking victims is actually a very problematic procedure. Usu- ally, those who sufered in the territory of a foreign state while searching for a job, hesitate to call the police because they are afraid to be penalized for violating the laws of that state. Moreover, they do not trust the ofcial struc- tures and not aware of their rights and possi- bilities of getting desired help. Very ofen, the psychological trauma does not permit the vic- tims to adequately understand what had hap- pened to them and to undertake correct steps. It all ends end up in labeling these people as illegal emigrants in the black market. Meanwhile, the trafcked persons are ofen treated by the representatives of law enforce- ment institutions not as victims but as persons who violated the legislation being the subject of administrative detention, penalties, and de- portation. So on top of the trafcking traumas and suferings, they get new strain as a result of contacting legal authorities. In these cases the victims, who are deprived of required assist- ance and support, fnd it very difcult to re- turn to normal life. Even if they are able to es- cape from exploiters control, sometimes they get trapped again by the trafckers network. Terefore, it is necessary to identify the victims of trafcking in human beings, primarily for the protection of their rights. 26 26. Care este procentul fetelor trafcate a doua, a treia oar i de ce se ntmpl acest lucru? 26. What is the percentage of girls trafcked for the second and third time and why do such things happen? Multe dintre tinerele care au suferit o dat de pe urma trafcului consider c experiena lor este o lecie nvat i ncearc s plece din nou peste hotare. Chiar dac fac aici cursuri de instruire, chiar dac li se propune un loc de lucru, nu se rein prea mult la salariul ce li se ofer. Ele nimeresc de fapt ntr-un cerc vicios: pe de o parte, oportuniti reduse de supravieuire acas, pe de alt parte, tentaia ofertelor de salarii mari. Istoriile de succes ce se transmit din gur n gur sunt foarte convingtoare n acest sens. Se mai ntmpl c unele victime s-au ataat fa de un client care li s-a prut mai bun, care le-a ajutat s evadeze din trafc, altele devin dependente de patro- nul-exploatator. Aceast ncredere ntr-o persoan salvatoare de multe ori duce la lucruri i mai grave fostele victime uneori completeaz rndurile racolatorilor. Dintre victimele asistate de Centrul Internaional La Strada procentul celor trafcate repetat nu depete 10 la sut. Many young girls who sufered from traf- fcking consider that they have learned the les- son and therefore they could try again. Even if they attend training courses and are ofered decent jobs, they do not stay too long due to the low salary ofer. In fact, they get into a vicious circle: on the one side they have limited pos- sibilities to survive in their native country and on the other side, there is always a temptation of more attractive salary ofers, plus the success stories that travel from lip to lip and fnds its place in subconscious. Sometimes it happens that certain victims become dependent of one of their clients, who seemed to treat them better and who helped them to escape from being trafcked. Others become attached to the boss-exploiter himself. Very ofen this confdence in a rescue person leads to more aggravated situations, i.e. cases when the former victims would occasionally join the recruiters. Out of the total number of victims assisted by the International Center La Strada cases of repeated trafcking does not exceed 10 percent. 27 27. Cine ar trebui s identifce victimele trafcului i cum se face de fapt acest lucru? 27. Who should identify the trafcking victims and how does it work? Din experiena noastr putem afrma c, de cele mai dese ori, identifcarea victimelor este realizat de poliie sau de ONG-urile specializate. Modalitile de identifcare difer de la caz la caz. De cele mai dese ori, speci- alitii La Strada descoper victimele prin intermediul Liniei Fierbini naionale 0 800 77777, mai rar la numrul (373 22) 23 33 09, la care se poate apela din strintate. Prin intermediul acestui instrument, din 2001 pn n prezent au fost descoperite i identifcate circa 500 de victime ale trafcului de fine umane. O alt cale prin care am identifcat mai multe persoane trafcate au fost campaniile de sensibilizare a populaiei. Victimele trafcului mai pot f identifcate n timpul raidurilor poliiei, cnd se descinde n locurile de exploatare a acestora. ns efectul aciunilor poliiei depinde de respectarea anumitor norme de lucru cu presupusele victime (antre- narea ONG-urilor specializate, acordarea unei perioade de refecie potenialelor victime, precum i alte msuri de protecie i asisten). Dac presupusa victim nu va avea ncredere n colaboratorul poliiei sau al ONG-ului, ea nu va povesti ceea ce i s-a ntmplat cu adevrat i, prea poate, nici nu va f identifcat ca vic- tim. Based on the experience gained by the In- ternational Center La Strada we could say that most ofen the identifcation of victims is done by the police or by the specialized NGOs. Te identifcation procedures difer from case to case. In the majority of cases the specialists of the International Center La Strada identify the victims through the national Hot Line 0 800 77777 facility, and in some cases through call received on (373 22) 23 33 09 to which one could call from abroad. Since 2001 and up to date found and identifed through this mecha- nism were about 500 victims of trafcking in human beings. Population awareness cam- paigns are yet another channel through which many of the trafcked persons were identifed. Victims of trafcking can also be identifed during police raids, performed in the places of victims exploitation. However, the efect of this measure depends on the observance of certain rules of work with the presumed victims (in- volvement of specialized NGOs, ofering to potential victims a period of contemplation as well as other protection and assistance meas- ures). If the presumed victim does not trust the policemen or the NGO specialist, she/he will not deliver and miss a chance to be identi- fed as a victim. 28 28. Ce ar trebui s fac organele de drept (poliia, justiia) ca s ctige ncrederea victimelor? 28. What should the law enforcement bodies (police, courts) do to gain the confdence of the victims? n primul rnd, se impune o cretere continu a nivelului profesional al poliitilor. n rndul al doilea, e nevoie ca toi participanii la procesul de combatere a trafcului s- i perfecioneze cunotinele n diverse aspecte ale problemei: i poliitii, i procurorii, i judectorii, n special cei din raioane. Chiar dac pentru acest grup profesional n ultimii ani au fost organizate mai multe seminare, traininguri, activiti practice, ele tre- buie desfurate permanent are loc fuctuaia cadrelor, unii vin, alii pleac, trec la alt lucru, iar cei noi au mereu nevoie de instruire, cel puin pentru a ti cum s deosebeasc cazurile de trafc de alte infraciuni. Se impune de asemenea o colaborare mai strns ntre organele de drept (n spe- cial poliie) i ONG-urile specializate, cu experien n domeniu. De regul, victimele trafcului sunt mai deschise fa de reprezentanii ONG-urilor dect fa de structurile de stat, unde predomin metode mai rigide de lucru. n acest context, colaborarea ar f benefc att pentru organele de urmrire penal, ct i pentru victime. Dac persoana trafcat va benefcia de asisten medical, psihologic, i se va oferi un azil special sau alt loc sigur, va simi un sprijin, o atitudine prietenoas, ea va f gata s relateze n detalii despre toate cte i s-au ntmplat. Atunci i ancheta va decurge mai operativ i cu mai mult succes. Altminteri, n Germania, dac poliistul vine un contact cu o presupus victim a trafcului de fine umane, el este obligat, n decurs de o or, s invite reprezentantul unui ONG specializat. Firstly, it is necessary to ensure continuous upgrading of professionalism with police ofc- ers. Secondly, it is necessary that all the partici- pants involved in trafcking combat process keep refreshing their knowledge of various aspects of this problem, including police ofcers, prosecu- tors, and judges, especially the ones from districts. Despite of the fact that at the extent of the recent years a series of workshops, training courses and practical activities were provided for this profes- sional group, such activities should be maintained on the ongoing basis. Tere is a notable turnover of personnel, some people come others go or change their job while the new employees need permanent training, at least to know how to diferentiate a trafcking case from other delinquencies. It is also necessary to achieve a better coopera- tion between the law enforcement bodies (especial- ly police) and specialized NGOs with experience in this area. As a rule, the victims of trafcking are more open with the representatives of NGOs than with those from the state institutions, which ap- ply more tough forms of case identifcation. Under this context, the cooperation would be more ben- efcial for both the criminal investigation bodies and the victims. If the trafcked person benefts from medical and psychological assistance and she/he is ofered a special asylum or another safe place, feels real support, and a friendly treat, this person will be ready to describe in minor details everything what had happened to her/him. In this case the investigation will go on more promptly and successfully. For example, in Germany, if a policeman comes in contact with a presumed victim of traf- fcking in human beings, he is obligated by law within one hour to invite a representative of the specialized NGO. 29 29. Care sunt formele, mecanismele de colaborare a Centrului Internaional La Strada cu structurile de stat? 29. What are the forms and mechanisms of cooperation with state structures applied by the International Center La Strada? Combaterea trafcului de fine umane nu se poate produce numai cu efortul unei singure structuri, orict de dezvoltat i experimentat ar f aceasta. n cazul n care avem nevoie s readucem o persoan din locul de exploatare, apelm la ajutorul or- ganelor de poliie sau corpului diplomatic; n cazul n care victima are nevoie de suport psihologic sau medical, apelm la specialitii din sfera asistenei sociale, iar n cazul angajrii n cmpul muncii la Agenia Naional pentru Ocuparea Forei de Munc i subdiviziunile ei teritoriale. Alte forme de colaborare sunt organizarea n comun a seminarelor, conferinelor, mprtirea bunelor practici specialitilor din structurile de stat. A devenit deja tra- diional colaborarea cu cadrele didactice, cu reprezentanii poliiei, cu clerul etc. n activitile de informare i prevenire pentru grupurile de risc. Un alt fga de colabo- rare este participarea Centrului Internaional La Strada la elaborarea actelor nor- mative ce vizeaz ntr-un fel sau altul domeniul antitrafc. Bunoar, specialitii de la Centrul de Analiz i Lobby au fost solicitai n calitate de experi la defnitivarea Planului naional de prevenire i combatere a trafcului de fine umane, la discutarea proiectului de lege privind prevenirea i combaterea trafcul de fine umane, pentru care au naintat 17 propuneri de modifcare; mai mult de jumtate au fost acceptate i i-au gsit locul n varianta adoptat. La sfritul anului trecut am fost solicitai la elaborarea unor instruciuni de implementare a proaspetei legi. Control over the trafcking in human be- ings cannot be carried out by a single structure alone no matter how developed this structure could be. If we need to bring back a person from the place of exploitation, we call on the assist- ance of police; if the victim needs psychologi- cal or medical assistance, we call on the social assistance specialists the National Agency for Employment and its territorial subdivisions. Other forms of cooperation include organ- izing joint workshops, conferences, sharing best practice with the specialists representing state institutions. Cooperation with teachers, representatives of police and church in regard to information and prevention activities for risk groups has already become a tradition. Another area of activity lies with participa- tion of the International Center La Strada in drafing regulatory acts dealing in some or the other way with trafcking issues. For exam- ple, specialists with the Analysis and Lobbying Center were asked to participate as experts in fnalizing the National Plan for prevention and combating trafcking in human beings, dis- cussing the draf Law on preventing and com- bating trafcking in human beings, for which submitted for approval were 17 amendments; half of these amendments were accepted and included in the fnal version. At the end of the last year we were asked to participate in draf- ing instructions for the implementation of the new law. 30 30. Care sunt cazurile cele mai difcile pe care le ntlnii? 30. What are the most difcult cases you encounter? Cele mai difcile rmn a f cazurile cnd nu mai poi oferi nici un fel de ajutor victima este omort sau i se schimb pe neateptate adresa i ea pur i simplu dispare. Cazurile cnd prinii ncep s bat alarma la un an, ba chiar i la doi- trei dup ultimul telefon al ficei lor. Cazurile n care sunt implicai copii cu disa- biliti de vorbire i uneori dureaz extrem de mult pn ne dumerim cine sunt i de unde. Cazurile n care victimele provin din ri unde organele de poliie sunt indiferente i deseori sunt mn-n mn cu trafcanii, cum ar f Emiratele Arabe Unite sau Rusia. Cnd, n urma aciunilor acestora, victimele i pierd ncrederea chiar i n noi, creznd c suntem prtai cu ei. Sinceri s fm, nu exist cazuri simple. Nu exist cazuri care s te lase indi- ferent i rece. Cum poi s reacionezi altfel, cnd se apropie o mam i-i zice: Fiica mea a fost trafcat de fna mea. Sau c s-a salvat, dar s-a ntors cu SIDA. Eu am cancer... Ce putei face voi? Ce putem face cnd un copil de ase ani poate s rmn singur pe lume? Cine e vinovat? Te most difcult cases remain the ones when there is no chance to ofer any type of as- sistance: the victim is murdered or the victim changes the domicile unexpectedly and simply disappears without a trace. Also cases when the parents start beating an alarm in a year or two to three years time since they last heard from their daughter. Likewise cases of involvement of children with speech defciencies; sometimes it takes quite a while to fnd out who they are and where they come from. Also cases when the victims are coming from the countries in which police bodies are unconcerned and ofen are acting hand-in-hand with the trafckers, like for example in Arab Emirates or Russia. As a result of such treat the victims are loosing their trust even in us as they believe that we are accomplices of the trafckers. Honestly speaking, there are no easy cases. Tere are no cases that would leave one un- touched and distant. How could one respond when being approached by a mother who says: My daughter was trafcked by my goddaugh- ter. Or that she escaped but got AIDS. I have cancer How can you help me? What can we do when a 6-years old child could remain alone in this world? Who is to be blamed? 31 31. Cnd a aprut Linia Fierbinte i pe ce principii funcioneaz? 31. When did the Hot Line appear and what are the principles of its operation? Lansat la 1 septembrie 2001, Linia Fierbinte constituie de fapt o parte in- tegrant a strategiei noastre antitrafc. Iniial ea opera cu un singur numr de telefon 23 33 09, ntre orele 9.00 i 19.00. Din mai 2003 Linia Fierbinte ncepe s funcioneze 24 din 24 de ore, opernd cu o linie telefonic naional cu desti- naie special 0 800 77777 (gratis, pentru apeluri din orice localitate a Moldovei), iar numrul (373 22) 23 33 09 devine unul pentru apeluri de peste hotare. n prezent, Linia Fierbinte este deservit de 5 consultani, n majoritate psihologi, care au urmat traininguri speciale n domeniul consilierii telefonice i care pot deservi concomitent trei solicitani. Un principiu director al consilierii la Linia Fierbinte este confdenialitatea informaiei, anonimatul apelantului. Consilierea poart un caracter individual, poate f oferit practic n trei limbi (romn, rus, englez) i are drept scop con- solidarea cunotinelor i capacitii benefciarilor de a lua o decizie bine chibzu- it, care le-ar fortifca ulterior ncrederea n sine, dar i capacitatea de a recunoa- te pericolul trafcrii i a lua msurile de protecie cuvenite. Te Hot Line, launched on September 1, 2001, constitutes an integral part of our anti trafcking strategy. Initially, it operated with a single telephone number 23.33.09, between 9.00 a.m. and 19.00 p.m. Since May, 2003 the Hot Line has functioned 24 of 24 hours oper- ating through a national telephone line with special destination 0 800 77777 (free of charge, from any locality of Moldova) and the number (373 22) 23 33 09 became one of the numbers for calls from abroad). At present, the Hot Line is serviced by 5 counselors, in the major- ity psychologists, who were specially trained in the area of telephone counseling and who can simultaneously ofer services to three clients. Another major principle of Hot Line coun- seling is the confdentiality of information and the anonymity of the caller. Counseling is in- dividual and can be ofered practically in three languages (Romanian, Russian and English) and is aimed at strengthening the benefciar- ies capacities and knowledge to take a deci- sion based on good judgment and information, which will increase the benefciaries conf- dence in themselves, as well as their capacity to recognize the danger of trafcking and to undertake the necessary protection measures. 32 32. Cine i cum poate suna la Linia Fierbinte? 32. Who and how can call the Hot Line? La Linia Fierbinte 0 800 77777 poate apela, la orice or de zi sau noapte, orice persoan, indiferent de vrst i sex, care intenioneaz s plece peste hotare i dorete s afe ct mai mult informaie despre diverse oportuniti. Tot aici pot apela cei care au primit deja o ofert de lucru sau de studii ntr-o alt ar i ar dori s afe mai multe detalii despre aceast ar, despre procedurile, condiiile i posibilitile de plecare. Sau i acest lucru este poate cel mai important s afe unde se poate documenta dac oferta nu este cumva fals sau vine de la persoane dubioase. Cu att mai indicat este apelul la Linia Fierbinte atunci cnd persoana dorete s plece cu orice pre peste hotare, dar nici nu are o ofert concret. n aceste cazuri este foarte important a obine ct mai mult informaie, sfaturi utile despre cum e mai bine s ocoleti situaiile dubioase, inclusiv riscul trafcrii. Consilierii de la Linia Fierbinte au i un slogan, pe care l promoveaz mereu: O persoan informat este mai greu trafcat! Any time during day or night, any person, regardless of age and sex, who indents to go abroad and wants to fnd out more information about this opportunity, can call the Hot Line on the telephone number 0 800 77777. Tose, who got job or study ofers from foreign coun- tries and would like to fnd out more details about this country, procedures, conditions and possibilities of departure, can also call this number. Or, and this is very important, to fnd out if the ofer is false or comes from dubious persons. Moreover, the person is advised to call the Hot Line when she/he wants to leave abroad but doesnt even have a specifc ofer. It is very important, in these cases, to obtain more information and useful advice how to avoid dangerous situations, including the risk of trafcking. Te Hot Line counselors have a slogan which they constantly promote: An in- formed person is harder trafcked! 33 33. Care este, mai concret, spectrul problemelor n care solicitanii pot obine informaii? 33. Which is the specifc range of problems on which the callers might obtain information? Gama informaiei ce poate f obinut la Linia Fierbinte este foarte variat: de la regimul VISA (procedura i documentele generale necesare obinerii vizei) n ara n care persoana dorete s plece, drepturile i obligaiile, constrngerile i libertile unui (potenial) migrant, prevederile legislaiei mai multor ri de des- tinaie privind lucrtorul migrant, sistemul au-pair, pn la cstoria cu un ce- tean strin, verifcarea legalitii ofertei i frmei de angajare n cmpul muncii peste hotare (licena, veridicitatea contractelor etc.), a frmei turistice, ageniilor matrimoniale, contactele ambasadelor/consulatelor Republicii Moldova n ara respectiv, ale unor organizaii i instituii abilitate s acorde asisten compe- tent n domeniul migraiei sau antitrafc, o gam ntreag de sfaturi utile despre riscurile i consecinele migraiei ilegale, pericolul i consecinele trafcului de fine umane, despre care nici nu bnuii c ar trebui s cunoatei. Linia Fierbinte La Strada mai ofer consiliere i asisten informaional n cazurile apelurilor SOS. Te diapason of information that could be obtained on the Hot Line is very large: from the VISA regime (general procedures and documents necessary for visa issuance) of the country where the person indents to go, rights and responsibilities, constraints and liberties of a (potential) migrant, legal provisions of coun- tries of destination regarding migrant work- ers, Au pair system, prior to getting married to a foreigner. Te Hot Line also answers the questions about the verifcation of the legality of job ofers and employment companies from abroad (license, contracts genuineness, etc.), of tourist companies, matrimonial agencies, provides the contacts of Moldovan Embassies/ Consulates in the respective countries, some organizations and institutions authorized to render assistance, competent in migration and/ or anti-trafcking, and also certain number of useful advice regarding risks and consequences of illegal migration, danger and consequences of human beings trafcking, of which one even dont doubt that she/he should know. Te Hot Line of the International Centre La Strada also ofers counseling and infor- mation assistance when SOS calls are received. 34 34. Ce ar trebui s nelegem prin apelurile SOS? 34. What should we understand by SOS calls? La acelai numr de telefon 0 800 77777 pot apela i rudele sau apropiaii persoanelor, care fe se af n captivitate, sunt exploatate peste hotare, nu au po- sibilitatea s scape i au nevoie de ajutor, fe au plecat peste hotare, nu dau nici un semn de via, le consider disprute sau bnuiesc c au nimerit n reelele trafcanilor. Asemenea apeluri sunt considerate de natur SOS. Linia Fierbinte opereaz ca un canal SOS i n cazurile persoanelor trafcate, cnd acestea ne sun afndu-se nc ntr-o ar strin (fe n captivitate, fe c au evadat, fe c pot solicita unei persoane de ncredere acest serviciu) i caut cu disperare cine le-ar putea ajuta s scape din mrejele trafcanilor, cum s ajung n patrie sau cel puin ntr-un loc n care ar f protejate i s-ar afa n siguran. n aceste cazuri ele pot apela la numrul (373 22) 23 33 09, linia telefonic internaional, valabil pentru apeluri de peste hotare. Tot aici pot suna chiar victimele, adic persoanele care au fugit din locul ex- ploatrii, se rentorc ori s-au rentors acas i la moment au nevoie de asisten urgent de diferit gen. n acest caz, apelurile SOS servesc drept prghie de moni- torizare a asistenei acordate. Asisten ce variaz n funcie de situaie i nevoile persoanelor trafcate i ale familiilor acestora. Te relatives or close friends can also call the telephone number 0 800 77777 and in- form about the persons, who are in captivity, exploited abroad, have no possibility to escape and need help, either if they have lef abroad and didnt send any signs of life and the rela- tives consider them disappeared or they sus- pect that the persons are in the trafckers net- work. Such calls are considered SOS calls. Te Hot Line operates as a SOS signal also in cases of trafcking in persons, when the latter call from a foreign country (either from captivity, or afer they evaded, or entrusted other per- sons to make the call) and desperately look for help to get out of the trafckers toils, to return to the native country or at least to a place where theyll be protected and secured. In such situ- ations they can call the telephone number (373 22) 23 33 09, international telephone line for calls from abroad. Te victims, i.e. persons who ran away from the exploitation place, who return or returned home and need various urgent assistance at that moment, can also call this number. In this case SOS calls serve as an instrument for the monitoring of rendered assistance. Assistance, which is diferent in various situations and de- pends on trafcked persons and their families necessities. 35 35. Cine apeleaz mai des la Linia Fierbinte i cu ce ntrebri, probleme? 35. Who is calling the Hot Line more often and what is the range of questions and problems raised? De cele mai multe ori la Linia Fierbinte apeleaz persoane care intenioneaz s plece peste hotare i solicit informaii generale n acest sens. Apelurile de acest gen constituie, n medie, circa 30% din numrul lor total. Dup care ur- meaz cele ce in de o angajare la munc peste hotare, avnd o ofert concret 20 la sut. Circa 10% din apelani solicit, de regul, asisten informaional privind cutarea i/sau posibilitatea recuperrii persoanelor disprute, conside- rate victime ale trafcului, iar altele 8% sunt apeluri deja nemijlocit de la victimele trafcului, find vorba de recuperare, repatriere sau reintegrare social. Un pro- cent relativ nalt (6 la sut) l constituie i apelurile care se refer la cooperarea cu grupuri profesionale i de iniiativ, ce se informeaz despre oportunitile desfurrii unor activiti n domeniu (ONG-uri locale sau structuri locale, re- gionale ori chiar internaionale). n rest, de la 1 pn n 3 la sut sunt sunete ce in de fenomenul trafc de fine umane n general, solicitri de seminare, ntrebri despre statutul de migrant, sistemul au-pair, turism, studii etc. De obicei, la Linia Fierbinte apeleaz mai des femeile (n medie 60%), brbaii constituind doar 40 la sut. Calling the Hot Line more ofen are the per- sons planning to go abroad and soliciting gen- eral information. Tis type of calls amounts in average to about 30 percent of the total number of calls. Tese are followed by the calls referred to employment abroad with confrmed job of- fer (20 percent). As a rule, about 10 percent of the calls refer to informational support in searching and/or possibility of recuperating lost persons considered victims of trafcking and 8 percent are direct calls from the victims of trafcking referring to such issues as recu- peration, repatriation or social reintegration. A relatively high share (6 percent) lies with the calls referring to cooperation with professional and initiative groups soliciting information on the possibilities of displaying certain activities in this domain (local NGOs or local, regional and even international structures). Te rest, from 1 to 3 percent of total are the calls referred to the phenomenon of trafcking in human be- ings, solicitations of workshops, questions on the status of a migrant, au-pair system, tour- ism, studies, etc. As a rule, women are calling the Hot Line more ofen (on the average 60%), while calls made by men amount to only 40 percent. 36 36. Cte apeluri pe zi avei, n ce perioade sunt mai multe, cnd mai puine? 36. How many calls per day do you receive, when do you receive more/less calls? n medie pe zi avem 10-12 apeluri telefonice, sau circa 320 pe lun. Anumite explozii se produc n zilele cnd pe posturile TV sau radio, n cadrul unor emisiuni cu participarea angajailor Centrului Internaional La Strada, este anunat numrul de telefon de la Linia Fierbinte. Uneori lumea telefoneaz chiar n timpul emisiunii, solicitnd informaii, de regul, cu caracter general (infor- mative i de prevenire). E drept, c n timpul difuzrii celor dou talk-show-uri (din 18 noiembrie 2005 i 17 februarie 2006, emisiunea Bun seara, postul TV Moldova 1), au predominat apelurile cu caracter SOS. ns cel mai mare fux a fost nregistrat n perioadele desfurrii campaniilor informaionale, numrul apelurilor crescnd, de regul, de 3-5 ori. Curba apelurilor difer de la an la an, dar o analiz comparativ ne permite s afrmm c s-a nregistrat o cretere n lunile iunie-iulie 2002-2003 i n noiem- brie-decembrie 2004-2005. Cel mai puin suntem sunai n lunile septembrie- octombrie a fecrui an. n total, de la 1 septembrie 2001 pn la 31 octombrie 2006, la Linia Fierbinte La Strada au fost nregistrate peste 19 600 apeluri telefonice, dintre care peste 80% constituie apeluri de informare i prevenire, iar circa 20% apeluri SOS. On the average we receive 10 to 12 phone calls, i.e. total of about 320 calls per month. We get certain outbursts on the days when TV or radio broadcast Hot Line phone number in the course of shows/presentations with par- ticipation of the personnel of the International Center La Strada. Sometimes we get phone calls while the broadcast is on. As a rule it will be solicitation of information of general nature (informative and preventive). It is also true that in the course of broadcast of the two talk shows (November 18, 2005 and February 16, 2006, TV channel Moldova 1, program Buna seara) the SOS calls were predominant. Still, the big- gest fow of calls was recorded during display of information campaigns when their number goes up by 3 to 5 times. Te curve of calls changes from year to year; however a comparative analysis allows us to afrm that we did register more calls in June-July of 2002-2003 and in November-De- cember of 2004-2005. Te smallest number of calls is recorded in September-October of each year. From September 1, 2001 through October 31, 2006 recorded on the Hot Line of the In- ternational Center La Strada were more than 19 600 phone calls out of which more than 80 percent of calls refer to information and pre- vention, while 20 of calls are SOS. 37 37. Cte victime ale trafcului de fine umane au fost salvate de La Strada prin intermediul Liniei Fierbini i cum are loc de regul acest lucru? 37. How many victims of trafcking in human beings were saved by La Strada through Hot Line facility and what is the general procedure? Cele mai multe circa 80 la sut dintre toate victimele asistate de organiza- ia noastr au fcut legtur cu noi (direct sau prin intermediul rudelor) prin telefonul de la Linia Fierbinte, ceea ce denot efciena unui atare instrument de informare i asisten a victimelor. Anume consultanii de la Linia Fierbinte sunt cei care deschid accesul persoanelor trafcate la asisten. Odat recepionat apelul, consultanii colecteaz date care s indice despre un eventual caz de trafc (aceasta deseori n lipsa unor informaii prtinitoare, unde soarta de mai departe a cazului depinde de intuiia profesional a consultantului) i le transmite Cen- trului de Contact care va organiza nemijlocit asistena necesar. Restul, circa 20 la sut dintre persoanele care au suferit de pe urma trafcului i au benefciat de diferite servicii de asisten din partea Centrului Internaional La Strada, sunt cele referite de diverse ONG-uri locale, regionale, internaionale, de organele de poliie, serviciile consulare, organizaii religioase . a. Te majority, about 80 percent of all vic- tims who benefted on the assistance granted by our organization contacted us (directly or through their relatives) by Hot Line facility, which proves the efciency of such instrument of delivering information and granting assist- ance to the victims. It is actually the consultants working on the Hot Line that open access to our assistance for the trafcked persons. Once the appeal is received, the consultant takes care of compiling data that could indicate an even- tual case of trafcking (this ofen occurs at the background of lack of relevant information and when the future destiny of the case in question depends on the professional intuition of the consultant) and transfers such to the Contact Center which proceeds to supply the required assistance. Te remaining 20 percent out of the persons that sufered from the consequences of trafcking and benefted on a range of serv- ices rendered by the International Center La Strada are the ones referred to us by diferent local regional and international NGOs, police, consular services, religious and other types of organizations. 38 38. Probabil, consultanii de la Linia Fierbinte suport anumite tensiuni psihologice n timpul consilierii. E posibil s nu te implici afectiv? 38. Probably the Hot Line consultants are subject to certain psychological strains. Is it possible not to get emotionally touched? Firete, consilierea la Linia Fierbinte solicit consultanilor o tensiune deose- bit mai toi au trecut prin crize, mai uoare sau mai profunde. Acest lucru se ntmpl mai des n cazul sunetelor SOS, tensiunea acumulat escaladnd uneori n sindromul arderii profesionale. Este foarte greu s nu te implici emoional n situaia persoanei disperate de la cellalt capt al frului, chiar n pofda nu- meroaselor traininguri, n cadrul crora am fost nvai cum s procedm ca munca s nu ne afecteze personalitatea, relaiile de familie. Dar prezena crizelor nu nseamn neaprat absena profesionalismului fecare i are propriile mo- dele de a depi crizele. De cele mai multe ori, mprtind coninutul discuiei telefonice cu colegii, ei sunt cei care te ajut s-i pui n ordine gndurile i senti- mentele i s te protejezi de riscul epuizrii sau arderii profesionale. Mai greu ne este n situaiile extrem de difcile, imposibile de rezolvat. Dar bucuria pe care ne-o aduc cazurile n care ajutorul a dat roade i benefci- arii sun cu mulumiri este alifa tmduitoare. Suportul emoional i ajutorul pe care l ofer consultanii este crucial pentru benefciare ele se calmeaz, ncep s gndeasc pozitiv, s cread n forele proprii. Acest lucru ne aduce o adevrata satisfacie profesional, ne ajut s fm siguri de ceea ce facem. Really, Hot Line counseling requires that the consultant possesses special psychological qualities almost all of them had to go through light and more profound crises. Tis occurs more ofen when the consultant gets SOS calls. Sometimes, accumulated psychological strain is scaling up to a syndrome of professional ad- herence. It is very difcult to remain emotion- ally untouched in case of a desperate situation lived through by a person on the other end of the wire despite numerous trainings during which we were taught the way to proceed so that our work does not afect our personality and our family relations. However, the fact of running through a crisis does not necessarily mean lack of professionalism every person has its own ways of coping with crisis. In the majority of cases, it helps sharing the contents of telephone discussion with the colleagues the ones who would help you bringing your mind and sentiments at peace and protect you against pending risk of feeling exhausted or professional burnout. We feel real bad when facing extremely difcult situations for which there are no practical solutions. However, the joy delivered by our suc- cess cases and phone calls with complements from our benefciaries is pouring balm on our hearts. Te emotional support and assistance granted by the consultants are crucial for the benefciaries; it calms them down, they start thinking positive and regain trust in their own strength. Tis work is bringing us true profes- sional satisfaction and it helps us to believe in what we are doing. 39 39. La Strada are i o echip de educatori de la egal la egal. Cnd i cum a aprut ea? 39. La Strada has a peer-to peer instruction team. When and how did the team appear? Activitatea de voluntariat la Centrul Internaional La Strada dateaz din noiembrie 2003. Ideea antrenrii tinerilor n activitile Centrului ns a aprut cu un an mai nainte, dup dou coli de instruire cu tineri activi n promovarea i aprarea drepturilor femeii. n cadrul celei de a treia coli, Tinerii lideri n promovarea drepturilor femeii, am invitat un grup dintre cei mai activi s se includ ntr-un ir de activiti de mas, destinate semenilor lor. Din 2004 voluntariatul la Centrul Internaional La Strada a cptat un ca- racter formalizat: recrutarea voluntarilor are loc n baza unui concurs special, dup care aplicanii selectai urmeaz un atelier de instruire special n activiti de prevenire a trafcului, desfurate de Centrul de Resurse. Anual selectm n jur de 25 de persoane noi, care se altur celor cu experien- , rmai din anul precedent. n felul acesta, n al cincilea an de activitate, echipa de voluntari a ajuns deja la a patra generaie. Te volunteer movement at the La Strada International Center dates back to November 2003. However, the idea of providing, within the Center, training to young people had ap- peared a year before that, afer training courses in womens rights for young activists had been held. In the context of the third training work- shop Young leaders in promoting womens rights we invited a group of the most active participants with the view to involving them in mass actions held for their peers. In 2004 the volunteer movement at the La Strada International Center was put on a for- mal basis. Volunteers began to be selected on a competition basis; and afer selection special training workshop on prevention of trafcking in persons for the volunteers - who are selected from a number of candidates - is provided by the Resource Center. Annually we select about 25 new people who join the corps of more experienced volun- teers trained in previous year. Tus, by the ffh year of our work we have had three groups of graduates in our volunteer team; the ones that will be selected this year will be the fourth gen- eration. 40 40. Care sunt principiile de activitate a voluntarilor? 40. What are the principles of volunteers work? Centrul Internaional La Strada consider activitatea de voluntariat drept o component fundamental a societii civile. Munca de voluntar apropie subiec- ii societii, i plaseaz pe poziia de aprtori ai valorilor i principiilor general umane. Calitile unui voluntar, apreciate de colaboratorii Centrului La Strada, sunt creativitatea, ideile inovatoare, activismul, deschiderea, motivarea, dorina de a-i ajuta pe alii, independena, dorina de a acumula noi cunotine. A f voluntar nseamn a lucra zilnic asupra ta nsui, a-i cultiva abiliti noi, a nva, a-i asuma responsabiliti i a-i ncuraja pe alii s fac la fel. n general, prezena echipei de voluntari pentru noi nseamn mbuntirea serviciilor pentru comunitate prin implicarea comunitii. Contribuia volun- tarilor o resimte att organizaia n care activeaz att ei i prietenii lor, ct i comunitatea din care provin, societatea n ntregime. Una din regulile de baz a voluntarilor n desfurarea seminarelor este transmiterea informaiei conform principiului De la tineri la tineri (sau De la egal la egal), ceea ce imprim mesajului mai mult credibilitate. n acelai timp, voluntariatul ajuta tinerii s obin i s-i dezvolte abiliti pe care sistemul edu- caional formal deseori nu le poate oferi. La Strada International Center considers volunteer movement to be a fundamental com- ponent of the civil society. Work of a volunteer brings members of society together and puts a volunteer in the position of a champion for general human values and principles. Te qualities that the workers of La Stra- da International Center appreciate in volun- teers are creativity, innovative ideas, activity, openness, motivation, and willingness to help others, independence, willingness to acquire new knowledge. Being a volunteer means im- proving oneself daily, developing new capabili- ties, learning, assuming responsibilities and encouraging others to do the same. In general, for us having a working volun- teer team means improvement of the quality of services to the community by involving the community itself. Volunteers contribution is visible and palpable both to the organization in which he or she works, to his friends and the community from which he or she comes and the society as a whole. When holding workshops volunteers fol- low the fundamental rule of volunteer work i.e., transfer information in accordance with the peer-to-peer principle (or from youth to youth), thus making their message more con- vincing and credible. At the same time volun- teers help youths to acquire and develop capa- bilities when the formal educational system has nothing to ofer. 41 41. Cine vine s fac n prezent voluntariat la La Strada i ct timp activeaz n echip? 41. Who are the volunteers at La Strada now? And how much time do they work in the volunteer team? Cei mai muli dintre voluntari sunt de obicei studeni ai instituiilor de n- vmnt superior, mai puin, liceeni ai claselor superioare. Experiena arat c dup absolvirea facultii, majoritatea i caut un serviciu pltit. Dintre cei se- lectai, jumtate rmn, iar alt jumtate fe c au venit din curiozitate, fe c sunt dispui s aleag mereu altceva. Criteriile de selecie sunt simple: s fe activi, s doreasc s se implice. La interviu se determin de obicei ct de dedicat poate f persoana, ct de mult este dispus s se implice n activiti. De obicei durata medie de activitate a voluntarilor este de la un an la trei. Majoritatea vin cu un concept foarte clar despre ce nseamn voluntariat, dei n Moldova este mult prea devreme s vorbim de o cultur a voluntariatului. Motivele pe care le invoc sunt o experien nou pentru ei, este ceva bine vzut ulterior n CV, o posibilitate de cretere chiar n interiorul organizaiei. Volun- tarii sunt implicai n anumite activiti de cercetare, cum ar f colectarea in- formaiei, anchetarea persoanelor n diferite localiti, distribuirea pachetelor informaionale etc. Commonly most of the volunteers are uni- versity students, fewer are senior high school students. Experience shows that most universi- ty graduates look for paid jobs. A half of those selected stay, the other half either have come out of curiosity or always feel like looking for something else. Te selection criteria are sim- ple i.e., candidates should be active, willing to be involved. Te interviews usually seek to identify how dedicated a person is, how strong he or she is willing to be involved in the work. On average a volunteer works from one to three years. Te majority come with a clear concept of what volunteer work is; although it is pre- mature to speak about volunteer culture in Moldova. Te reasons for being a volunteer are to gain new experience, to have a good record for showing it in their CV, to develop a career path in the organization. Volunteers are in- volved in doing some surveys and research i.e., collection of information, interviewing people from diferent communities, circulating infor- mation packages, etc. 42 42. De ce tinerii accept s fe voluntari ntr-un asemenea domeniu? 42. Why would young people agree to do some volunteer work in a feld like this? n primul rnd, dup cum mrturisesc ei nii n scrisorile de motivare, pen- tru c vor s se simt participani la o activitate care aduce folos societii. i pen- tru c trafcul de fine umane este un domeniu care le suscit un interes sporit i care i vizeaz direct pe semenii lor. Apoi pentru c activitile desfurate de La Strada, mai susin ei, sunt captivante, le ofer posibilitatea de a cpta abiliti de activitate n echip, primele experiene de munc n general. Nu n ultim instan, pentru a-i face noi prieteni, pentru a nva lucruri noi i a cpta de- prinderi utile, pentru a f parte a unei organizaii prestigioase, pentru a nelege problemele comunitii n care locuiesc. n sfrit, pentru c activitile pe care le desfoar n cadrul echipei La Strada le ofer posibilitatea de a se manifesta n faa celor de o vrst cu ei, de a-i testa abilitile oratorice n cadrul seminarelor pe care le in n faa elevilor, de a participa la diverse seminare tematice pentru tineri i de a-i lrgi orizontul de cunoatere. i nu e secret, c pentru unii este i o ans de a se face cunoscui pe piaa muncii, de a testa o noua carier, de a obine un job. In the frst place, according to what they themselves write in their memos of motiva- tion, because they want to be doing something that serves public good; then because combat- ing trafcking in persons is of greater interest for them and because trafcking in persons afects other young people, their peers. Ten, as volunteers also recognize, because they fnd the work done by La Strada fascinating, they can acquire the skills of teamwork, and gain the frst working experience in general. An important reason is that they want to be vol- unteers because they want to have new friends, to learn new things, to acquire useful skills, to be members of a prestigious organization, and to understand the problems of their commu- nity; last but not least, because involving in the La Strada work they can show their worth to their peers, test their talents of an orator at workshops held for school students, take part in workshops for the youth on various topics and add to their knowledge. It is not a secret, for some of them the volunteer work is an op- portunity to learn about the labor market, try a new career or to get a job. 43 43. Un exemplu de activitate a voluntarilor, relevant pentru echip. 43. An example of volunteer work that is important for the team. Experiena demonstreaz c din moment ce oamenii sunt mai informai des- pre pericolele trafcului i nva s recunoasc primele semne ngrijortoare ale situaiilor de risc, criminalii se adapteaz la situaiile noi i inventeaz noi me- tode de racolare. Astfel devin foarte importante campaniile de prevenire i de contientizare, conduse permanent de un ochi ager, n baza unei analize ample, spre a ajusta informaia la realitile noi. Asemenea campanii, precum i activi- tile de prevenire pentru grupul de risc, sunt desfurate cu concursul activ al echipei de voluntari a Centrului Internaional La Strada, care sunt instruii n acest domeniu i monitorizai, pentru a asigura efciena lor maxim. Anume ei au fost promotori activi ai campaniei informaionale naionale Lilya pentru totdeauna, n cadrul creia au desfurat circa 200 de seminare pentru grupul de risc (februarie iunie 2004), la care au participat n jur de 7000 de tineri i tinere. De asemenea i ultima Campanie social i mie mi pas... (noiembrie 2005 mai 2006) a fost de mare succes n acest sens. n cadrul ei anume voluntarii, prin intermediul ofciilor mobile, au distribuit populaiei peste 60 mii exemplare de materiale din pachetul informativ Ce poi face tu?, care ndeamn populaia s nu fe indiferent fa de trafc i fa de persoanele trafcate. As experience shows, as soon as people become more aware and informed about the dangers of trafcking and learn to discern the frst worrying signs of a risk situation crimi- nal recruiters adjust their techniques and try new methods. Terefore, it is very important to hold prevention and awareness raising cam- paigns on a permanent basis with vigilance, to act on the basis of a profound analysis with the view to adjusting information to the new reali- ties. Te La Strada International Center vol- unteer team takes an active part in these cam- paigns and prevention actions for risk groups; the volunteers are trained to hold such actions, and in order to reach the maximum efciency close monitoring is done. It was the volunteers who actively promoted the national informa- tion campaign Lilya pentru totdeauna[Lilya 4 ever] in the context of this campaign ap- proximately 200 seminars were held (in Febru- ary through June 2004) for risk groups for to- tal audience of about 7 000 young people. Te last social campaign i mie mi pas...[I do care] (held in November 2005 through May 2006) was a great success in this regard. Dur- ing the latter campaign it was the volunteers who - through mobile ofces - distributed over 60 thousand copies of the information package Ce poi face tu? [What can you do?], which called upon the population to take heed of the problem and victims of trafcking. 44 44. Ci dintre voluntarii La Strada au evoluat, unde i cum? 44. How many of the La Strada volunteers have been promoted? Where and how have they been promoted? O ptrime din actualii angajai ai Centrului Internaional La Strada sunt unii dintre cei mai activi foti voluntari. Poziiile la care au fost promovai sunt diverse unii i-au exprimat interesul i au fost promovai n posturi cu caracter administrativ sau de coordonare. Avem voluntari care sunt angajai n calitate de asisteni fnanciari sau de birou, coordonatori de programe de voluntari; alii au preferat s rmn mai aproape de problem, de oameni i activeaz n calitate de consultani la Linia Fierbinte, sociologi i formatori. Foarte muli foti voluntari La Strada activeaz n prezent n diverse ONG- uri i alte structuri ale societii civile, unii chiar s-au manifestat i peste hotarele republicii. A quarter of the La Strada current staf is former volunteers, and the most active ones. Te volunteers have been promoted to various positions i.e., some showed interest in and were promoted to positions of an administrator or a coordinator; some former volunteers are employed in positions of fnancial and ofce assistants, and coordinators of volunteer pro- grams. Others preferred actual involvement in the problem and being in touch with people: they work as hot line consultants, sociologists and instructors. A lot of the former La Strada-Moldova volunteers work in various NGOs and in other civil society organizations, others shave been able to show their worth abroad. 45 45. Cnd i cum a aprut n Republica Moldova Centrul Internaional La Strada? 45. When and how did the International Center La Strada appear in the Republic of Moldova? De facto, Programul La Strada a fost lansat n Republica Moldova n martie 2001, odat cu fondarea Centrului Internaional pentru Protecia i Promovarea Drepturilor Femeii La Strada, organizaie neguvernamental care militeaz pentru drepturile omului i care i-a anunat existena n scopul prevenirii traf- cului de fine umane. Este nregistrat ofcial la Ministerul Justiiei la 23 august 2001, dat considerat de jure drept ziua de natere a organizaiei. Pornind la drum cu patru entuziati, n prezent La Strada-Moldova numr 18 angajai specialiti n economie i management, medicin i resurse umane, psihologie i asisten social, jurispruden i pedagogie. Pe parcursul a cinci ani de activitate s-a impus ferm n viaa social a republi- cii, acumulnd o experien unic i vaste competene n domeniu. Este recunos- cut ca expert n diverse aspecte de contracarare a trafcului, membru apreciat al mai multor instituii naionale i internaionale, desfurndu-i activitatea n parteneriat cu un ir de organizaii i structuri internaionale i autohtone n baza unor proiecte sau programe regionale sau locale de interes public. De facto the La Strada Program was launched in the Republic of Moldova in March 2001, together with the founding of the Inter- national Center for Protection and Promotion of Womens Rights, La Strada, which an- nounced prevention of trafcking in persons to be its reason for being. It was ofcially reg- istered with the Ministry of Justice on August 23, 2001, and this date is considered the date of the foundation of the organization. Te operations by La Strada began with a team of four enthusiasts while now it has a staf of 18 employees, expert economists, managers, medical persons, human resources specialists, psychologists and social assistance workers, le- gal and pedagogical experts. During the fve years of work the Center gained frm ground in the social life of the country having unique experience and vast ex- pertise in its feld. Te Center is recognized for its expertise in various areas of combating traf- fcking in persons; it is a renowned member of various national and international institutions and it carries out work in partnership with in- ternational and domestic organizations and agencies by means of local and regional pro- grams and projects of public interest. 46 46. Care au fost premisele apariiei La Stradei- Moldova i cine au fost prinii? 46. What were the grounds for the appearance of La Strada-Moldova and who were its parents? Cnd a nceput s creasc fuxul persoanelor trafcate din Europa de Est i, im- plicit, s se extind numrul organizaiilor de tip La Strada, reeaua internaional a inut s promoveze o strategie comun, la nivel transnaional, pentru toi mem- brii ei. Pentru ca aceste strategii s nu fe dispersate local, s-a procedat la urmto- rul principiu: la primirea unor membrii noi, o organizaie-membru mai cu stagiu i experiena era numit n calitate de tutore. Astfel, n primii ani, organizaia noastr a avut calitate de printe-ndrumtor pe La Strada-Ucraina. Dar chiar de la pri- mele activiti, care s-au dovedit a f cu idei novatoare, am ajuns s ne gsim i alte rude-parteneri printre organizaii internaionale de prestigiu, cum ar OSCE i OIM, misiunile din Moldova. Anume din mna lor uoar am deprins foarte degrab a realiza proiecte valoroase i viabile, care ne-au adus nu numai experien i capaci- ti organizatorice, dar i ncrederea mai multor donatori. Astzi, de rnd cu aceti prini i rude, mai suntem recunosctori Organizaiei Internaionale a Muncii (Programul ILO-IPEC), Federaiei Internaionale Helsinki pentru Drepturile Omu- lui (Austria), Comisiei Europene, Departamentului de Stat SUA (Programul IREX), Ministerelor Afacerilor Externe ale Regatului Unit al Marii Britanii i Irlandei de Nord, Greciei, Norvegiei, Fundaiilor olandeze ICCO i NOVIB, precum i altor do- natori care ne-au susinut i ne susin fnanciar diferite proiecte i activiti. Once the fow of persons trafcked from Eastern Europe acquired astounding propor- tions and in line with extension of the number of organizations of type La Strada, the inter- national network proceeded to promote joint strategy with all of its members at the transna- tional level. As not to allow for these strategies to be dispersed locally a decision was taken to arise from the following principle: when ac- cepting new members, an organization with a longer term of membership and experience was assigned as a tutor. Tus, in the beginning our organization had La Strada-Ucraina act- ing as our parent-guide. However, since dis- playing our frst activities, which have proven to contain certain innovation ideas, we man- aged to fnd other kinship-partners among the internationally renowned organizations, such as OSCE and IOM missions in Moldova. It was thanks to their good graces that we soon be- gan implementing rather valuable and viable projects, which gave us not only experience and organizational capacities but also the conf- dence of many donors. Today, besides herewith mentioned parents and relatives we are grateful to the International Labor Organiza- tion (Program ILO-IPEC), International Hel- sinki Federation for Human Rights (Austrian Helsinki Committee), European Commission, US Department of State (Program IREX), Min- istries of External Afairs of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece, Norway, Dutch Foundations ICCO and NOVIB as well as to other donors that have granted us support in the past and continue fnancing dif- ferent projects and activities displayed by our organization. 47 47. Numii una din activitile de nceput, care au rmas n memoria la-straditilor. 47. Name an action from the early history of the La Strada which has remained in the memory of its member, if not in the history of the Center? Una dintre primele aciuni mai relevante a fost campania informaional Tu nu eti marf, lansat n toamna lui 2001 de ctre Organizaia Internaional pentru Migraie, dar la implementarea creia a participat activ organizaia noas- tr. Campania a durat mai bine de un an i a promovat primul numr de telefon de la Linia Fierbinte: 23 33 09, prin care am i devenit cunoscui n ar. Pachetul informaional cu acelai nume (panouri vizuale, futurai i stickere), dei purta un mesaj, n opinia unor experi internaionali, cam crud (dar poate tocmai din acest motiv?!), a prins rapid la populaie i efectul lui l-am simit foarte repede prin numrul apelurilor, care au nceput s curg la Linia Fierbinte. i acum se ntmpl s mai sune cte cineva i s ntrebe: Da nu-i tii pe cei cu Tu nu eti marf? C am pierdut numrul lor de telefon... O mam din provincie, cnd a czut npasta i peste familia ei, a venit la Chiinu i a schimbat cteva rutiere, pn s dea de un sticker cu acel mesaj i numrul de telefon... Pe muli dintre noi, cei mai vechi, i azi i copleesc emoii dulci-amare, cnd i amintesc de acea aciune ca de un prim examen al nostru. One of the early important actions was the awareness campaign Tu nu eti marf [You are not to be traded], launched in autumn of 2001 by the International Organization for Mi- gration, and implemented with the active par- ticipation of La Strada. Te campaign was go- ing on for more than a year and promoted the frst hot line phone number 23-33-09 by which we became known in this country. Te infor- mation package with this name (i.e., outdoor visual panels, fyers and stickers) delivered a message in a somewhat coarse way, according to some international experts; (however, it may have been meant to be so?!); the community got the message quite quickly and the efect was felt very soon in the increased number of phone calls which literally came like inundation. And now sometimes some one would ring up and ask, Do you know the people from Tu nu eti marf? I have lost their phone number... A mother of a family from the country, afer her family came to grief, would come to Chisinau and try several mini buses until she fnds one with a sticker with the phone number of the program... Even to day most of us, the oldest ones, are embraced with the sweet-bitter feel- ing when they recall the frst action, our frst exam. 48 48. Anul acesta presa a mediatizat copios Campania social i mie mi pas.... Cum apreciai efectul ei? 48. This year the media was broadly used in the social campaign i mie mi pas... [I do care]. How do you assess its efect? Este una dintre ultimele aciuni (dar, la sigur, nicidecum ultima!), desfurat ntre 1 noiembrie 2005 i 31 mai 2006 de La Strada. Campania i-a propus drept obiectiv sensibilizarea publicului larg i facilitarea accesului victimelor la protecie i asistena necesar. O aciune mai puin ordinar, ce a durat 210 zile i a intit de fapt i atitudinea ostil, de ignorare i marginalizare a victimelor trafcului din partea comunitii. Mesajul a fost difuzat prin spoturi TV i radio, prin emisiuni n dialog direct cu publicul, prin caravane mobile organizate n toate raioanele, cu distribuirea materialelor informative i oferirea consultaiilor individuale, discu- tnd i ntrebndu-i pe ceteni ce poate face fecare pentru a ajuta victimele s-i recapete demnitatea, s se reintegreze n societate. Ca efect, n aceast perioad s-a dublat numrul sunetelor SOS, iar cazurile de trafc descoperite a crescut de 3 ori. Ceea ce nseamn c mult mai multe persoane trafcate au apelat i au benefciat de asisten, inclusiv cele care au revenit n patrie 1-2 ani n urm. Au fost nregistrate semnale importante privind trafcul cu brbai (numrul de cazuri a crescut de 12 ori), iar numrul copiilor victime ale trafcului identifcai i asistai n aceast pe- rioad a crescut de 9 ori. Studiul comparativ efectuat la fnele campaniei a artat c populaia a devenit mai tolerant fa de victimele trafcului, dei atitudinea ostil mai persist nc, n special n zona rural. It was one of the latest actions (but defnite- ly not the last one!) by La Strada held from November 1, 2005 through May 31, 2006. Te objective of the campaign was to raise aware- ness of the public at large and facilitate the vic- tims access to protection and necessary assist- ance. It was not an ordinary campaign; it lasted 210 days and in fact had also a task of changing the domestic communities attitude of hostility to, ignoring and marginalization of the victims of trafcking. Te message was delivered in TV and radio spots, by live broadcasts of dialogue with the public, by caravans in all districts of the country which circulated information packages and ofered individual consultations, held discussions and asked citizens about what each of them can do to help the victims to re- gain their dignity, to reintegrate in the soci- ety and live normal lives. Te efect was that in that period the number of SOS telephone calls doubled, while the number of discovered cases of trafcking in women grew three times; it means that many more victims, including those who had returned home 1 or 2 year be- fore, rang up and received assistance. Impor- tant information about trafcking in men (the number of case grew 12 times) was registered while the number of children victims (who had been identifed and received assistance in the course of the campaign) was 9 times as big. Te comparative study made upon the campaign showed that the citizens became more tolerant though hostile attitude still persists, especially in rural areas. 49 49. Dup cinci ani de activitate, ce schimbri, tendine noi caracterizeaz trafcul de persoane n Moldova? 49. What changes and trends in trafcking in persons do you see in Moldova after the fve years of your operation? Ca i n lume, i n Moldova fenomenul nregistreaz periodic schimbri la fa. n primul rnd, trafcanii au schimbat rutele, modul de transportare i alte componente. Direcia balcanic a fost substituit de dou axe noi spre Orientul Mijlociu i Apropiat i spre Est (Rusia, Ucraina, Polonia). Dac mai nainte per- soanele racolate erau transportate mai des ilegal, terestru sau cu autoturisme in- dividuale, cu acte false, n ultimul timp trafcanii prefer mai des calea aerului, ca find mai sigur, cu vize i acte legale. n sfrit, dac n anii 2000-2002 victi- mele erau trecute peste hotare n grupuri mici, a cte 3-5 persoane, supravegheate de o cluz, n ultimii ani sunt caracteristice plecrile individuale, fr nsoitor sau cu el numai pentru o anumit etap. Bunoar, pentru ca victima s ajung n EAU sau Israel, ea este nsoit de la aeroportul din Chiinu pn la unul din Moscova, dup care iau calea acestor ri. In Moldova, like everywhere in the world, the trafcking in persons registers changes of the face from time to time. Primarily the recruiters have changed the routes, ways of transportation and other things as well. In- stead of the Balkans direction there are two new axes i.e., to Middle East and to the east (Russia, Ukraine, Poland). If earlier more ofen than not trafckers used to transport recruited persons illegally with false documents by land transport, in private cars; now trafckers chose to travel recruited persons mostly by air, which is a more reliable way, with legal visas and reg- ular documents. And fnally, whereas in 2000- 2002 victims were escorted by a guide across the border in small groups of 3 or 5, now more commonly they travel individually without a guide or are escorted only a part of the way. For example, a victim en route to UAE or Israel is escorted by a guide from Chisinau to an air- port in Moscow. 50 50. Trebuie s nelegem c reelele de trafcani sunt mai fexibile i mai operative dect structurile de stat sau cei chemai s lupte cu ele? 50. Does it mean that the trafcking networks are more fexible and act more promptly than the government agencies vested with the responsibility to combat the trafcking networks? Firete, eforturile mereu crescnde ale comunitii internaionale i locale n prevenirea i combaterea trafcului de fine umane i face pe trafcani s-i mo- difce continuu tacticile i strategiile de recrutare, rile de destinaie, mai puin cele de origine. Cercetrile noastre constat o renunare treptat la meto- dele de tratament dur i inuman a persoanelor racolate (btaia, maltratarea etc.), cum procedau prin anii 1998-2002. n ultimul timp trafcanii au ajuns s-i modifce pn i condiiile de exploa- tare i sistemul de remunerare. Dac nainte majoritatea femeilor exploatate nu erau deloc remunerate, apoi n ultimii ani circa 30 la sut din femeile victime ale exploatrii sexuale au indicat c dup recuperarea cheltuielilor suportate de trafcant (peste cteva luni de exploatare), stpnul ncepea s le plteasc cte 5 dolari pentru fecare client ademenit suplimentar. Mai multe victime minore au mrturisit c, bunoar, n cazul cnd deserveau pe zi/noapte pn la 20 de clieni, plata pentru doi clieni deservii peste aceast cifr le revenea direct n calitate de onorariu. Naturally, the increasing efort by the in- ternational and domestic community to pre- vent and combat trafcking in persons makes the trafckers change the recruiting tactics and techniques, countries of destination and, to less extent, counties of origin. According to our studies, they gradually abandon the cruel and inhuman treatment (severe beatings, maiming, etc) of recruited persons which was characteristic in 1998-2002. In recent years trafckers have gone as far as changing both the conditions of exploitation and the remu- neration system. Earlier most of the exploited women did not use to get any remunerated at all; whereas in recent years, as about 30 percent of women, victims of sexual exploitation, testify, afer re- imbursing trafckers expenses (afer several years of exploitation) the owner begins to pay them 5 dollars per additionally attracted client. Many minor victims have testifed that if they, for one, provided services to up to 20 clients a day/night fees from two clients above the target were due directly to them as an honorarium. 51 51. Cum se vede, trafcanii au i cunotine de marketing, psihologie? 51. As we can see, trafckers also know about marketing mentality, dont they? ntr-adevr, unii rechini ai trafcului se dovedesc a f i buni psihologi. Bu- noar, n scopul diminurii ocului psihologic i manipulrii contiinei victi- melor, o persoan recrutat pentru ntia oar este plasat pe o anumit perioad cu alte fete sau femei, care au acceptat deja situaia de trafc. Atmosfera aps- toare i mai ales discuiile infueneaz moralul persoanei nou recrutate i o face adesea s se resemneze i s neleag c nu exist o alt soluie dect s accepte sclavia sexual. n sfrit, exploatatorii au nceput s permit fetelor folosirea contraceptivelor, n schimb nu renun la cerina de utilizare a excitanilor 90% din persoanele intervievate au mrturisit c stpnul le obliga s consume alcool, s fumeze, pentru a f mai vesele i atractive. Altminteri, proftul fabulos i stimuleaz n egal msur att pe recrutori, ct i pe exploatatori s dea dovad de o fexibilitate i abilitate de invidiat (mai ales pentru reprezentanii organelor de drept) n perfecionarea i modernizarea metodelor de exploatare. Some trafcking sharks prove to be very good at understanding human nature. For example, in order to reduce the emotional and mental shock a freshly recruited person is placed together with other girls or women, who have accepted their position of a trafcked person. Te appeasing atmosphere and espe- cially the conversations infuence the morals of a newly recruited person and more ofen than not make her to reconcile herself with the situ- ation and realize that she cannot do other than accept the sexual slavery. Finally, the exploiters began allowing the victims to use contraceptives while not refus- ing to use drugs: 90 per cent of the interviewed persons have testifed that the owners made them drink alcohol and smoke to look happier and more attractive. Having fabulous profts both trafckers and exploiters have sufcient motivation to demonstrate (ofentimes to the law and order agencies) a remarkable and enviable ability and fexibility to improve and update the exploita- tion methods. 52 52. Ce alte modifcri vizavi de fenomenul trafc mai indic cercetrile Centrului Internaional La Strada? 52. What other changes in trafcking in persons do the studies by the La Strada International Center show? n ultima vreme s-au schimbat i metodele de recrutare. Dac anterior vic- timele cdeau prad mai des anunurilor din sursele de publicitate i ageniilor de turism sau de angajare la munc peste hotare, n ultimii ani recrutarea o fac tot mai mult persoanele fzice (98% din totalul cazurilor studiate de La Strada- Moldova). n aceeai ordine de idei remarcm c, dup cum mrturisesc chiar victimele, dac n anii trecui printre recrutori fgurau n egal msur brbaii i femeile (50/50), n anii 2003-2004 ncep s predomine femeile (55% din cazuri) i cuplurile (35%), brbaii-recrutori find reclamai doar n 10% din cazuri. Fe- meile se bucur de mai mult ncredere din partea victimelor (lucru fresc, dac inem cont c absoluta majoritate 99 la sut din numrul victimelor trafcului sunt femei). O femeie bine, mbrcat cu gust cucerete victima chiar cu aspectul ei, care pare s exprime Vezi cum triesc eu? sau Vezi cum o duce cutare?. Tot mai des printre recrutori fgureaz rudele apropiate (surorile, care au co- alizat cu trafcani, soii, care i vnd propriile soii). Un fenomen de-a dreptul monstruos este faptul c printre cazurile asistate de Centrul de Contact se n- tlnesc i cteva n care mamele i-au vndut propriii copii, adesea la preuri derizorii. Asemenea cazuri, de regul, ne las n afara oricror comentarii. Recruitment methods have changed re- cently as well. Earlier, victims ofentimes used to fall for the bait of various advertisements and tourist or employment frms, whereas in recent years more ofen than not recruitment is done by individuals (98 per cent of the cases examined by the La Strada- Moldova). And also, as victims testify, whereas earlier there were equal numbers of men and women re- cruiters (50/50), in 2003-2004 there are more women (in 55 per cent of the cases) and couples recruiters (35 per cent of the cases); while men recruiters were present only in 10 per cent of the cases. Women appear more trustworthy to victims (which is quite natural because the ab- solute majority, 99 per cent, of the victims are women). A well and tastefully dressed woman wins a victim over by her mere looks, which seem to demonstrate how well she is doing or how prosperous she is. Close relatives (sisters, who collude with trafckers, or spouses who sell their wives) be- come increasingly common as recruiters. And a really hideous phenomenon is mothers selling their children, ofentimes at ridiculous prices, there are several such cases among the others handled by La Strada-Moldova. In such cases we as a rule have no comment. 53 53. n ce msur La Strada colaboreaz cu mass- media? Cum apreciai aceast colaborare? 53. To what extent does La Strada cooperate with the mass media? How do you assess this cooperation? Ne-ar veni greu s numim o publicaie cunoscut, dar mai ales un post de radio sau TV, cu care s nu f colaborat. Prin anii 2002-2003 eram asediai mai mult de presa internaional, dect de cea naional. Probabil, se datoreaz, pe de o parte, faptului c n acea perioad La Strada-Moldova se afrma tot mai mult pe plan internaional, iar pe de alt parte, Republica Moldova, la capitolul trafc de fine umane, ajunsese n topul rilor de origine a fenomenului. Ar mai f s remarcm i posibilitile presei strine fa de cea de la noi n foarte multe cazuri am fost con- tactai, deja acas, de jurnaliti, angajai sau liberi profesioniti, venii la Chiinu din Austria, Danemarca, Frana, Germania, Olanda, Romnia, Rusia, SUA etc. Mai mult chiar, un specialist al organizaiei noastre a ajuns s fe unul dintre protago- nitii documentarului Trafc inuman, realizat de studioul MTV Exit, n care s-a produs i cunoscuta actri american Angelina Jolie. Dar ar f nedrept s spunem c nu ne bucurm i de atenia mass-media local. Am remarca, tradiional, colaborarea cu audiovizualul postul naional de radio, Antena C, Radio Sntate, Vocea Basarabiei, PRO TV, EURO TV, DTV . a. Din presa scris revistele Sptmna, Punkt, ziarele Moldova Suveran, Dreptul, cotidienele Timpul, Flux, regionalele Cuvntul (Rezina), Business info (Cimilia) . a. Numai n anul acesta Centrul Internaional La Strada s-a pro- dus n mass-media de peste 150 de ori. We can hardly think of a known periodi- cal, all the more so, of a radio or TV station with which we have not cooperated. In 2002- 2003 we were more beleaguered by the inter- national rather than the national press. On the one hand, maybe due to the fact that at that time La Strada-Moldova was establish- ing itself at the international arena, while on the other hand because in trafcking in hu- man beings the Republic of Moldova began to rank frst among the countries of origin. We should also remember the possibilities the for- eign press has versus the domestic one; in most cases, we were contacted at home by the jour- nalists either employed by specifc periodicals/ media or free-lance professionals who came to Chisinau from Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia USA, etc. Moreover, one of the experts of our organization became a leading performer in the documentary Inhuman trafcking in which famous American actress Angelina Joli appeared, shot by the Exit MTV studio. However, it would be unfair to say that we are overlooked by the national media. We traditionally cooperate with audio and visual media i.e., the National Radio station, Antena C, Sntate, Vocea Basarabiei, PRO TV, EURO TV, DTV, etc. From printed media we should mention the magazines Sptmna, Punkt, newspapers Moldova Suveran,, Dreptul, dailies Timpul, Flux, regional papers Cuvntul (of the town of Rezina), Business info (of the town of Cimilia) and others. Tis year alone the La Strada Inter- national Center appeared in mass media more than 150 times. 54 54. Cum credei, ce efecte are migraia la momentul actual i ce efecte va avea n viitor? 54. What is your opinion, what efects has the migration at the moment and what efects could be expected in the future? First of all, one needs to recognize that this is a phenomenon, which used to feed traf- fcking in human beings and which contin- ued to do so nowadays. In what concerns the efects, the list of evidence is a long one: lack of parental care, drop outs from schools, ever growing shortage of qualifed labor force; like- wise on the raise is the number of cases of de- pression amongst minor ones. Just to mention that this year on September 1 the number of scholars who showed up to attend classes was much below the expected fgure. Why? Just be- cause Moldova is now facing the second wave of migration and this time it involves families rather than the individuals. Tis means further internal depletion of labor force market leaving behind poorly qualifed labor, not to mention intellectual exodus. Te fow of remittances shall cease accordingly, which today are esti- mated at more than one billion US dollars. Tis does not mean that we should lock up the border such measure, if applied, could pump even more abundant prosperity into the shadow economy and expand criminality, including trafcking in human beings. Nowa- days we seem to be following the suit of Phil- ippines where at the background of surplus of labor force in the domestic market they began, same like us, restricting migration by all pos- sible ways but then realized that such measure was not doing any good. Subsequently, they accepted services rendered by private agencies ofering employment abroad. Tese agencies are similar to the ones we have but unlike such from Philippines ours do not enjoy govern- ment support, do not beneft on information (through consulates) on vacancies and as a re- sult cannot ofer too many guarantees to that end. n primul rnd, trebuie s recunoatem c migraia este un fenomen care ali- menteaz i va mai alimenta trafcul de fine umane. Ct despre efecte, ele se resimt deja acum: copii fr cldura printeasc, abandonul colar, lipsa braelor de munc, n special califcate, creterea numrului cazurilor de depresie printre mi- nori. De altfel, anul acesta la 1 septembrie pe bncile colii au venit mult mai puini copii dect se atepta. De ce? n prezent Republica Moldova se confrunt cu un al doilea val de migraie cel al ntregirii familiilor. Iar asta nseamn c piaa forei de munc n interior va deveni i mai srac, i mai necalifcat, ca s nu mai vorbim de exodul creierilor. Vor scdea subit i remitenele, estimate astzi la peste un miliard de dolari. Dar asta deloc nu nseamn c trebuie s nchidem hotarele asemenea msu- r ar alimenta copios economia tenebr, criminalitatea, inclusiv trafcul de fine umane. La ziua de azi noi ne asemnm flipinezilor, care, avnd acelai surplus de brae de munc pe piaa intern, au nceput, ca i noi, prin a limita pe toate cile migrarea, dar i-au dat seama la timp c interdiciile fac i mai ru. i au acceptat agenii particulare ce ofer locuri de munc peste hotare. Agenii care exist i la noi, dar care, spre deosebire de cele flipineze, nu au susinerea statului, nu benefciaz de informaiile consulatelor despre locuri de munc vacante, prin urmare nu pot oferi prea multe garanii n acest sens. 55 55. Cum vedei La Strada-Moldova n urmtorii cinci ani? 55. How do you see the role of La Strada-Moldova in the next fve years? Not that we are trying to give you an out- landish answer, but frankly speaking, we shall be happy to see ourselves acting in a totally dif- ferent area as opposed to that dealing with traf- fcking in human beings. Provided, of course, that there will be no more feld of operation in this segment of business. However, we are far from being confdent that in the next fve years we could all witness to irreversible abolition of a transnational plague like this one. Meanwhile, we intend to remain nearby those to whom we extended a hand of help in this hell and high water times for them, whom we helped and from whom have to confess it we learnt how to help them. Protection and promotion of womens rights, the issue of equal opportunities as well as many other problems encountered by the fair and sublime sex re- main at the top of the Millennium agenda. And fnally, we are eager to remain nearby young generation as well for whom and with whom we cared to display so many actions during past fve years of our activity. Te team working for the International Center La Strada is also young, fexible, disposes of sufcient capacity, knows how to learn and is prepared to respond to any new challenges that could emerge, including eventual transfer into another area of activities displayed by civil society. Te slogan: the future belongs to the young remains true in all the times. Nu c am vrea s dm un rspuns original, dar chiar, sincer, am f bucuroi s ne vedem activnd n cu totul alt domeniu, dect cel al trafcului de fine umane. Firete, n cazul n care pe acest segment nu ar mai f cmp de activitate. Dar nu suntem siguri c n urmtorii cinci am putea asista la abolirea defnitiv a unui asemenea fagel transnaional. Oricum, suntem decii s rmnem n continuare alturi de cele crora le-am ntins o mn de ajutor la ceas greu, pe care le-am asistat i de la care nu ne sinchisim s o spunem am nvat cum s le ajutm. Protecia i promova- rea drepturilor femeii, problema egalitii anselor i nc multe altele cu care se confrunt sexul frumos i sublim mai rmne nc printre primele pe agendele mileniului trei. n sfrit, dorim s rmnem n continuare alturi i de generaia tnr, pentru care i cu care am desfurat attea aciuni n aceti cinci ani de activi- tate. nsi echipa Centrului Internaional La Strada este una tnr, fexibil, dispune de sufciente capaciti, tie s nvee i e gata s rspund oricror noi provocri, inclusiv dac ar f se procedm la un transfer de activitate ntr-un alt domeniu al societii civile. Iar tinerilor, n toate timpurile, le-a aparinut i le aparine viitorul. 56 56. De ce La Strada? De unde provine aceast denumire i care este semnifcaia ei? 56. Why La Strada? Where does the name come from and what is its meaning? Many see parallels not without grounds - be- tween the name La Strada and a movie with the same name by Italian director Frederico Fellini. But here is what Trijntje Kootstra, the frst international coordinator of the La Strada network, Stana Bu- chowska, national coordinator of La Strada-Poland, and Baerbel Uhl, the frst coordinator of La Strada Czech Republic, recall, It was in early 1995, we were many women, partners of a new project of preventing trafcking in women from Central and Eastern Europe. We were discussing how we would begin the project. By the end of the meeting we had come to an agreement practically on all positions, however, we did not have a name. We all agreed that the name should ft our initiative and be appropri- ate for an international project, it had to be a name that catches quickly, is easily remembered, is attrac- tive and beautiful and ingenious at the same time in order to ensure our efcient cooperation with mass media and the public opinion in our work at the problem of trafcking. In the evening of the day prior to departure, Trijntje Kootstra invited us to a caf a very old one from Utrecht, a small Dutch city. It was only natural to get ourselves engaged in yet another ardent dis- cussion concerning the name. At the end of the day our consent went in favor of La Strada. In fact, we did start from Federoco Fellinis movie as its leitmo- tiv is all about trafcking. Next, La Strada in Ital- ian means road, street; many of our benefciaries were forced in street-walking. And fnally, ofen the road of women engaged in sexual business is nothing but a long way to go before they can escape from exploitation. If we want to help them out we need to go along this road with them as well. Tis being the key meaning by which our colleague from Poland was being guided when designing our Logo. One could interpret it as troublesome voyage but at the same time it shows a way out no matter how complicated the situations are there is always a solu- tion... Mai mut lume face i nu fr temei o paralel ntre denumirea La Strada i flmul cu acelai nume al regizorului italian Federico Fellini. Dar iat ce-i amintesc despre cum a aprut i s-a ncetenit denumirea La Strada Trijntje Kootstra, primul coordonator internaional al re- elei La Strada, Stana Buchowska, coordonator naional La Strada-Polonia i Baerbel Uhl, primul coordonator La Strada-Cehia: A fost pe la nceputul anului 1995 eram mai multe femei, parteneri ai unui proiect nou de prevenire a trafcului de femei din Europa Central i de Est. Discutam cum s ncepem proiectul. La captul ntrunirilor czuserm de acord pe aproape toate poziiile, dar nu aveam o denumire. Eram cu toate de acord c trebuie s fe una apropiat iniiativei noastre i adecvat unui proiect internaional, un ceva, care se reine uor, un ceva atractiv, frumos, dar n acelai timp i inge- nios, pentru a ne asigura pe viitor o cooperare efcient cu mass-media i opinia public vizavi de problema trafcului. Cu o seara nainte de plecare, Trijntje Kootstra ne-a invitat la o cafenea una foarte veche din Utrecht, un orel din Olanda. Firete, ne-am prins iari ntr-o disput aprig privind denumi- rea. Pn la urm a fost acceptat propunerea La Strada. Am pornit ntr-adevr de la flmul lui Federico Fellini, al crui laitmotiv este tocmai trafcul. Apoi, La Strada n italian, nseamn drum, strad multe dintre benefciarele noastre au fost implicate forat n prostituia strada- l. n sfrit, de multe ori drumul femeilor din businessul sexual este o cale lung pe care trebuie s o parcurg pentru a iei din situaia de exploatare. O cale pe care i noi trebuie s o parcurgem pentru a le ajuta. Anume de aceast semnifcaie s-a condus colega noastr din Polonia, elabornd logo-ul. Poate f interpretat ca o cale complicat a vieii, dar totodat care are ieire situaiile, orict de complicate, au totui o soluie...