Moldova human trafficking: Ten citizens lured into ‘forced criminality’ this year
This year, ten Moldovan citizens were lured into human trafficking situations and subsequently exploited in criminal activities.
The victims were forced to participate in the smuggling of migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and other Asian states into European Union countries or neighbouring Balkan states. The figures were released by the International Centre "La Strada" on the European Day Against Human Trafficking, marked annually on October 18.
"Victims of this form of exploitation face challenges related to mental and physical health, as well as difficulties with limited access to employment, housing, and legal residency status, and a reduced ability to seek and receive protection and support services due to a lack of recognition of their victim status," the centre highlighted.
The charity's Safe Migration and Anti-Trafficking Hotline documented a case involving a Moldovan citizen who was deceived and exploited in the Russian Federation. He was coerced into producing drugs and was subsequently given a 16-year prison sentence.
"Unfortunately, support for such victims is limited due to differences in criminal law. While human trafficking cases are filed in Moldova, in the Russian Federation, these cases are often classified as illegal drug operations," the organisation stated.
The International Centre "La Strada" urges citizens to exercise caution when receiving job offers from outside the country, to carefully verify the proposed details, and to consult a specialist at the Safe Migration and Anti-Trafficking Hotline.
In recent years, human trafficking for exploitation through forced involvement in criminal activities ("forced criminality") has expanded significantly in both scale and intensity globally. According to the UN Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024, the number of cases of this type of trafficking has risen considerably: from 1% of the total victims identified globally in 2016 to 8% in 2022.
A similar trend has been observed in the OSCE region. In 2020, 63% of participating OSCE states reported human trafficking cases for exploitation in criminal activities reported to be under criminal prosecution, compared with 47% of states that reported such cases in 2016.
The European Day Against Human Trafficking was launched by the European Commission in 2007 to combat human trafficking in all its forms.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
