Anti-trafficking responses trends and challenges at the core of OSCE Special Representative’s Romania visit

BUCHAREST, 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 –OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB), Madina Jarbussynova, concluded on Tuesday a follow-up visit to Romania, aimed at discussing the country’s progress in implementing OSCE anti-trafficking commitments in relation to the previous 2013 OSR/CTHBOSR/CTHB
Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings report.

During her two-day visit, the Special Representative met with a wide range of domestic and international interlocutors including high-level officials of law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, international organizations and civil society representatives. Jarbussynova also visited a governmental pilot centre for the protection of and assistance to children, as well as a reception and accommodation centre for migrants in Bucharest.

“With the amendments to the criminal code adopted in recent years, Romania has made considerable progress in aligning its anti-trafficking legislation with international standards” Jarbussynova noted. “Significant efforts should be undertaken to enable specialised service providers to better assist and reach out to victims, especially the most vulnerable groups such as minors and asylum seekers”.

At the Chamber of Deputies, the OSCE Special Representative met with the Co-ordinator of the Parliamentary Group for Combating Trafficking in Persons who briefed her about plans to harmonize anti-trafficking measures and boost regional co-operation through the promotion of a parliamentary network.

Romania is largely a country of origin and its nationals represent a significant share of the victims currently identified within the EU. “The National Agency for Combating Trafficking in Persons under the Romanian Interior Ministry demonstrated a high level of commitment to addressing human trafficking; it is now essential that inter-agency co-ordination is effectively supported and that frontline operators, including labour inspectors are equipped with the skills to tackle all forms of trafficking”, said Jarbussynova. “We look forward to the adoption of the new national strategy on combating human trafficking and call upon its effective and sustainable implementation”.

The Special Representative regularly conducts goal-oriented, high-profile country visits to strengthen the capacity of OSCE participating States to address human trafficking in a comprehensive and effective manner, as well as to share knowledge and collect best practices fighting this serious crime.