Submitted to: SOCHUM
From: Romania
Subject: Human Trafficking
Tara Porterfield
Human trafficking is an issue that faces many countries, including Romania. Worldwide approximately 40.3 million people are forced into human trafficking, there are no definitive factors that link all victims, all people are at risk for human trafficking however, homeless and runaway youth, Forgien nationals who are smuggled into countries, and individuals coming from violent and traumatic pasts are more at risk for human trafficking.
Romania is currently part of the European union which has established many programs and plans to assist the victims and halt the actions of people who have participated in the trafficking of people. One such program is Frontex which is an EU run border and coastguard agency that acts to safeguard these areas of freedom, security and justice, helping to guarantee an area of free movement without internal borders checks that many of us already take for granted. As of September 21st 2019 a document was signed by OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri. This document covers different areas of mutual interest, including promoting and enhancing good practices in border management, ensuring fundamental rights protection of people at the borders, and continuing to develop capacities to address emerging forms of cross-border crime. This is proof that a solution to human trafficking is in our grasp.
Romania is very willing to help out other nations facing this issue by, establishing border and coast guard agencies similar to Frontex, assisting with the funding needed to establish these agencies, share knowledge about known traffickers, providing resources to find victims and perpetrators such as fingerprints, and other collected data.
In conclusion human trafficking is an important issue that has a variety of solutions that need to be put in place to help those who are currently being effected by trafficking and those who have been effected in the past. Romania believes that in order to stop human trafficking action must be taken, this is an issue that cannot be ignored.
- Tara Porterfield
