Romania clamps down on crime
Romania takes another move against labour and human trafficking
Daniela Budu, 28.06.2024, 14:00
Romania takes tougher measures against labour and human trafficking and the sentences in these cases can on longer be suspended, under a new law promulgated by the country’s president Klaus Iohannis. The law, endorsed by the decision-making Chamber of Deputies on May 28 is aimed at fighting trafficking in minors and people. The new regulations do away with the possibility of suspended sentences regarding the crimes of modern slavery and human trafficking, sentences, which can reach up to 15 jail years and the cancellation of some rights.
Furthermore, if criminals prove to be public servants, family members or foster parents, prison sentences can go up to 20 years. Under the aforementioned law, other crimes such as the production, storage, presentation and promotion in any way of pornographic materials with minors by means of IT systems or other electronic communication means are punishable with prison sentences from one to three years.
The law also covers the attempted crimes of modern slavery and human trafficking while the victims’ consent cannot serve as mitigating circumstances.
This law is not the only measure taken by Romania in an attempt to fight the scourge. The 2024-2028 national strategy against human trafficking has been recently launched in Bucharest with a view to curbing this phenomenon, identifying and offering assistance to the victims and punishing traffickers.
According to the authorities, the country has made significant headway in its efforts to fight the phenomenon as compared to the early 2000s, both in terms of setting up the legal framework and the necessary institutional organization. However, authorities have admitted there is still room for improvement.
The latest annual report on human trafficking issued by the US Department of State last year said that Romania did not fully meet the minimum standards regarding the fight against human trafficking.
According to the aforementioned document the justice, investigators and child –protection authorities in Romania rather ‘sided with traffickers’ and proved extremely tough on victims.
Another report released this year by the International Justice Mission, an international organisation fighting against the vulnerability of the victims of human trafficking has described the legislative amendments in the field as not being in accordance with the human trafficking problematic but rather punctual and uncorrelated.
According to data released by the National Agency against Human Trafficking since this institution’s foundation in 2005, Romania reported 19 thousand cases of human trafficking and roughly four thousand convictions.
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