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INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0642
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 1052
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 0001
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0286
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RUEHCH/AMEMBASSY CHISINAU 1307
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 0654
RUEHDL/AMEMBASSY DUBLIN 0089
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 1089
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0047
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 1657
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0878
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 0369
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0308
RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE 8565
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0914
RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE 0663
RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA 4964
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 2064
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 13 BUCHAREST 000178 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI 
DEPT FOR EUR/NCE AARON JENSEN 
DEPT FOR USAID, DOJ, DHS, DOL, DOT 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PREF SMIG ELAB EAID KCRM KWMN KFRD
SOCI, RO 
SUBJECT: QROMANIAQS EIGHTH ANNUAL ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
REPORT 
 
REF:  STATE 00002731 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  001.2 OF 013 
 
 
ZFR CANCEL ENTIRE MESSAGE - REPLACED BY BUCHAREST 0183 ZFR ZFR 
 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  002 OF 013 
 
 
reduced significantly in recent years.  The increase in trafficking 
victims destined for Italy, Greece and Spain parallels the increase 
in overall migration of young Romanians who travel to these 
countries for low-wage jobs. 
 
¶B.  The profile of traffickers is broad and varied.  In some cases 
traffickers belong to internationally organized groups, which also 
specialize in other crimes such as the smuggling of drugs, guns, 
etc.; however in the majority of cases, traffickers appear to 
comprise small groups with loose structures, including family 
members or other individuals who are often known to the victims. 
Some victims may at some point become traffickers themselves, 
particularly as recruiters, as they see no other opportunities 
before them. 
 
The number of victims identified by the GOR likely does not reflect 
the total number of victims of TIP-related crimes.  Many victims are 
reluctant to identify themselves, primarily because of the social 
stigma associated with TIP activities.  There is also a general 
distrust among TIP victims of government officials and their 
readiness to assist them.  Many victims either seek no assistance or 
prefer to take advantage of other options rather than accept 
government assistance. 
 
A National Interest Program for victim assistance was created by the 
National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAATIP) in the last 
quarter of 2006.  This program, the first of its kind in the 
Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform, made approximately 
160,000 USD available to NGOs in the form of grants.  The funds were 
made available late in 2007 and the administration of the funds was 
a complex endeavor.  For this reason, only three NGOs had their 
grants approved, for a total of approximately 72,000 USD 
distributed.  The NGOs were: Ad Pare Q 48,000, AFIV Artemis Q 8,800 
USD and ANMRF Louis Pasteur Dej Q 23,000 USD. In 2007, governmental 
support for NGOs became more consistent. 
 
¶C. NAATIP is the governmental agency that leads the efforts of all 
other agencies involved in anti-trafficking.  The director of NAATIP 
is the chairman of the Inter-ministerial Working Group (IWG) on 
Human Trafficking.  Other government agencies involved in anti-TIP 
activities include: the Ministry of Administration and Interior 
(MAI), the General Inspectorate of Border Police(GIBP), the General 
ProsecutorQs Office (GPO), the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), the 
Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity (MLSS), the Ministry of 
Education and Research (MER), the Ministry of Health (MOH), the 
Ministry of Finance (MOF), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Human 
Rights Department), the National Authority for Child Protection 
(NACP), the Ministry of Public Administration (MPA), the Ministry of 
European Integration, the National Office for Refugees, the Ministry 
of Culture and Religion, the National Audio-Visual Council, the 
National Authority for the Labor Force, the Ministry of Youth, the 
Agency for Student Camps and Tourism and the National Authority for 
Child Protection and Adoptions.  All of these agencies are members 
of the IWG. 
 
¶D.  In 2007, funding was increased in order to provide personnel 
responsible for combating trafficking in persons, and there are no 
serious monetary impediments for the GOR to combat TIP on all 
levels.   Since RomaniaQs accession into the European Union there 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  003 OF 013 
 
 
has been a serious focus on addressing corruption and providing 
better funding for law enforcement personnel and prosecutors.  These 
plans remain works in progress, however, and although improvements 
have been made, more work is necessary to enable Romania to reach 
the standards of the more established members of the European Union. 
The vast majority of victims identified by the GOR held Romanian 
citizenship and were eligible for the same social services as any 
other Romanian citizen.  By U.S. and Western European standards, 
some of these social services - particularly health services - were 
lacking, but this is part of a larger social issue that affects TIP 
victims in a similar manner as it does the majority of Romanian 
citizens.  There are still serious cultural taboos to being 
identified as a TIP victim, especially young women who were forced 
into prostitution.  Due to these taboos, victims often remain silent 
about what crimes were committed against them and this makes the 
identification of the total number of trafficking victims a 
difficult task. 
 
¶E.  The GOR monitors anti-trafficking efforts through the NAATIP and 
in 2007 has improved its ability to gather statistics regarding TIP 
victims and prosecutions of TIP offenders.  This has been done 
through the advancement of a TIP National Database (nominated below 
as a QTip Best PracticeQ) that has been instrumental in tracking 
countrywide trends in trafficking, and serving as a way to ensure 
that no victims fell into the QcracksQ of the system.  The General 
Prosecutors Office and Ministry of Justice were responsible for 
providing the number of prosecuted and trialed TIP cases, including 
the number of arrested and convicted persons.  The GOR has been very 
forthcoming in sharing these statistics with NGOs, other governments 
and international organizations.  Twice a year the GOR provides a 
public update on progress regarding TIP issues; foreign government 
representatives, international organizations, NGOs and all relevant 
GOR institutions were invited to participate. 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS: 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶A.  Law no. 678/2001 specifically prohibits trafficking and seeks to 
protect and assist trafficked victims.  Article 2 of the law 
specifically covers both trafficking for sexual exploitation and 
trafficking for non-sexual purposes (e.g. forced labor).  Moreover, 
the law sets forth prosecution measures and punishments for 
traffickers.  Law no. 39/2003 for Combating Organized Crime 
specifically defines TIP as a serious crime, and includes TIP 
offenses.  Article 2 of the law defines an organized criminal group 
as: Qa structured group formed of three or more persons that exist 
for a period of time and acts in a coordinated manner for the 
purpose of committing one or more grave offenses, in order to obtain 
directly or indirectly a financial benefit or other material 
benefit.Q  The GOR also uses other laws in the prosecution of 
trafficking cases, especially laws prohibiting pimping.  All of 
these laws taken together cover the full scope of trafficking 
offenses. 
 
TIP victims have the right to seek a civil remedy, and this can 
occur simultaneously with the criminal proceeding, at the conclusion 
of the criminal proceeding or completely separate from the criminal 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  004 OF 013 
 
 
case. 
 
The following are pieces of legislation were added in 2007 to 
bolster existing TIP legislation: 1) Government Decision 1238/2007, 
which approved specific National Standards for specialized 
assistance services for trafficking victims and ensured a minimum of 
individualized services which were dependent on each specific case; 
2) Draft of NAATIP President Decision 1/2007, to approve the 
National Interest Program to improve assistance provided to victims 
and support NGOs with non-reimbursable funds; 3)  Joint Order of 
ministers and agency presidents to set up, organize and bring into 
operation the Thematic Working Group to nationally coordinate 
activities for the protection of victims of trafficking, published 
in the Official Journal no. 799/2007. 
 
¶B.  Violations of Article 12 of Law no. 678/2001 carry sentences of 
three to 12 years and raise the sentence to five to 15 years for 
aggravating circumstances.  The sentence provided in Article 13 
paragraph 1 is from five to 15 years if the victims are below the 
age of 18.  The same article carries terms of seven to 18 years in 
case of trafficking of minors under certain aggravating 
characteristics, such as kidnapping while armed, by a group of 
persons, or causing bodily injury.  If the kidnapping results in the 
death or suicide of the victim, the sentence goes from 15 to 25 
years.  Law 678/2001 defines trafficking in two articles (12 and 13) 
and several paragraphs that interact to provide a complex set of 
sentences ranging from three years (at a minimum) to 25 (at a 
maximum).  The sentence is dependent on factors such as: number of 
perpetrators, age of the victim, and severity of damage caused to 
the victim, kidnapping or fraud, and if violence or threats were 
used. 
 
¶C.  The same penalties awarded in sexual exploitation cases are also 
applied for labor trafficking offenses, to include recruiters. 
 
¶D.  Article 197, which covers rape, carries a sentence of three to 
10 years, with the penalty raised to five to 15 years if the act 
involves any of the following: two or more participants; is 
conducted by the guardian of the rape victim; or if severe injuries 
result.  The penalties rise to 10 to 20 years if the victim is under 
¶14.  If the victim dies or commits suicide, the sentence increases 
to 15 to 25 years.  These penalties overall are comparable to 
penalties for sex trafficking, as sentences for both range from 
three to 25 years. 
 
¶E.  In Romania, all prostitution activities are criminalized, to 
include the activities of brothel owners and pimps.  However, there 
is no law to punish the client, with the exception that if the 
prostitute was a minor and the client admitted knowing that fact 
before the act, the client can be prosecuted for sexual acts with a 
minor. 
 
¶F.  Between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007, the courts 
rendered final convictions against 188 persons for committing the 
offence of trafficking in persons. Out of these: 
 
Q- 1 person was sentenced to 6-12 months imprisonment; 
      - 76 persons were sentenced to 1-5 years imprisonment; 
      - 66 persons were sentenced to 5-10 years imprisonment; 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  005 OF 013 
 
 
      - 1 person was sentenced to 10-15 years imprisonment; 
- 17 (1 being a minor) persons were sentenced to a penalty 
  for which the sentence was conditionally suspended; 
- 26 (1 being a minor) persons were sentenced to a penalty 
  for which the sentence was suspended under observation; 
      - 1 person was sentenced to a penalty for which the court 
        pronounced the sentence at the working place. 
 
Under the Romanian Penal Code, an individual serving prison time for 
a TIP offense can be released early from prison if two thirds of the 
sentence has been served and the individual has demonstrated 
significant moral rehabilitation.  The Romanian legal system does 
not provide for plea bargains or fines - only imprisonment sanctions 
are given for TIP offenses. 
 
The legal framework encourages the traffickers to cooperate with the 
prosecution within the criminal proceedings.  Article 20 from Law 
no. 678/2001 provides: QThe person who committed one of the offences 
provided by this law and during the criminal lawsuit denounces and 
helps for identification of the other participant to the crime, 
shall benefit by reducing his own penalty with a half.Q 
 
In 2007, the Government indicted 398 defendants in 160 files for 
committing TIP offenses. 
 
Labor recruiters are prosecuted under Law no. 678/2001. 
 
¶G.  In 2007, the USG provided training to prosecutors, police 
officers, judges, NAATIP officials and other law enforcement 
officials through a DOJ sponsored Victim Witness Coordination 
program.  Most of this training took place in the North and West 
regions of Romania.  The program brought in experts from the U.S to 
instruct Romanian officials on how to work effectively with victims 
of trafficking during all legal proceedings.  The responsibility for 
sustaining this program fell under the NAATIP. 
 
¶H.  In 2007, Romanian prosecutors and law enforcement officials 
collaborated with their counterparts from other countries in 
numerous investigations regarding TIP offenses; 113 requests for 
information were initiated by foreign judicial authorities and 119 
were initiated by Romanian prosecutors.  There are Romanian Law 
Enforcement Liaison officers deployed to all Romanian embassies of 
main destination countries. 
 
Also, General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) and 
the Border Police have in many cases collaborated with officers from 
other European Union countries. 
 
¶I.  The Romanian government extradites persons who are charged with 
trafficking in other countries, if the legal conditions for 
extradition are fulfilled.  In 2007 there were no cases of 
extradition for trafficking offenses. 
 
Art. 19 from the Romanian Constitution provides: 
      (1) No Romanian citizen shall be extradited or expelled 
          from Romania. 
      (2) By exemption from the provision of para. (1), 
          Romanian citizens can be extradited based on the 
          international agreements Romania is a party to according 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  006 OF 013 
 
 
          to the law and on a mutual basis. 
      (3) Aliens and stateless persons may be extradited only in 
          compliance with an international convention or in terms 
          of reciprocity. 
      (4) Expulsion or extradition shall be ruled by the court. 
 
¶J.  There is no evidence of government involvement in or tolerance 
of TIP.  There were no prosecutions of Romanian officials for TIP 
offences during the reporting period. 
 
¶K. N/A. 
 
¶L. The NAATIP was responsible for training all Romanian peacekeepers 
on the realities of trafficking in persons prior to their 
deployments.  These training sections were conducted several times 
by NAATIP officials during 2007. 
 
¶M. Romania does not have an identified child sex tourism problem, 
although the media have reported some incidents of sexual abuse of 
children by foreign nationals visiting Romania. RomaniaQs child 
sexual abuse laws have extra-territorial coverage.  In the past, 
foreign pedophiles were arrested and prosecuted in Romania for child 
sex offenses. 
 
In 2007 there were no cases of foreign pedophiles extradited to 
their origin country. 
 
The National Authority for Protection of Children Rights, in 
cooperation with MAI, Romanian Hotel Industry Federation, Ministry 
of Transportation, Ministry of Tourism and NGOs, continued the 
project QIntersectorial collaboration between public and private for 
prevention of trafficking and sexual exploitation in hotel industry 
and tourism.Q  A conduct code for protection of children against 
sexual exploitation in tourism industry were expanded and promoted 
within this project. 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
 
¶A. The GOR provides assistance to foreign trafficking victims, but 
since Romania is not a destination country, there were few victims 
identified from other countries, the exception to this being 
Moldovan citizens.  In many cases the Moldovan victims are treated 
similarly to Romanian citizens, since many of them are legally in 
Romania.  There were no reported incidents where foreign trafficking 
victims were deported from Romania.  IOM has the lead on any cases 
involving the repatriation of foreigners and has a good working 
relationship with the GOR. 
 
¶B. Under the provision of Law no. 678/2001, victims of trafficking 
shall receive special physical, legal and social protection and 
assistance.  They are also entitled to physical, psychological and 
social recovery.  Upon request, TIP victims can receive temporary 
accommodation in government shelters for ten days.  The 
accommodation time can be extended by three months or for the entire 
duration of the criminal procedure, upon the request of the criminal 
investigation authority.  Victims of trafficking are also covered 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  007 OF 013 
 
 
under the Protection of Crime Victims Law, which entered into force 
in January 2005.  The law specifies that Romanian authorities offer: 
information regarding victimsQ rights; psychological aid; legal aid; 
and financial compensation funded by the GOR.  In 2007, government 
reports mentioned at least eight operational state shelters for 
adult victims of trafficking, each providing access to legal, 
medical and psychological services to varying degrees. 
 
In 2007, 669 victims of trafficking were assisted by the NAATIP. 
This was an increase compared to 2006, when 476 victims were 
assisted.  This indicates that aid provided by the GOR is reaching 
more victims than before.  Most of the assistance provided in 2007 
was in the form of social/legal assistance.  Only 69 of the victims 
were placed in shelters by NAATIP, 27 in NGO shelters and 42 in 
state-run shelters.  Most TIP victims in Romania opted to receive 
services while staying with friends and family.  In Romania there is 
a severe bias, dating to the communist times, against state-run 
facilities; even though some state-run shelters are in good 
condition, few victims take advantage of these types of services. 
 
¶C.  The National Interest Program for victim assistance was created 
by the NAATIP in the last quarter of 2006.  This program, the first 
of its kind in the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform, 
made approximately 160,000 USD available to NGOs in the form of 
grants.  The funds were made available late in 2007 and the 
administration of the funds was a complex endeavor.  For this 
reason, only three NGOs had their grants approved, for a total of 
approximately 72,000 USD distributed.  The NGOs were: Ad Pare Q 
48,000, AFIV Artemis Q 8,800 USD and ANMRF Louis Pasteur Dej Q 
23,000 USD. In 2007, governmental support for NGOs became more 
consistent. 
 
¶D. The National Authority for Protection of Child Rights set up an 
identification system for minor victims of trafficking.  Some law 
enforcement agencies have procedures for identifying victims of 
trafficking; this has improved through the training and expertise 
provided by the 15 regional centers of the NAATIP. 
 
¶E. Not applicable since in Romania there is no legalized 
prostitution. 
 
¶F. According to Romanian law, modified in 2005, victims of 
trafficking who are arrested for prostitution or begging cannot be 
prosecuted for these offenses.  Normally, victims that come from 
other countries are identified prior to their repatriation; there 
are sometimes delays in identifying internal victims.  Children are 
always considered victims in relation to trafficking and they are 
the beneficiaries of support and protection according to the 
Romanian laws.  In the past there were anecdotal reports of 
trafficking victims being arrested for crimes, but these reports 
have reduced in 2007. 
 
¶G.  Romanian legislation contains special provisions that provide 
benefits and protections for victims who assist in the investigation 
and prosecution of trafficking offenses.  Prosecutors responsible 
for TIP cases usually keep an objective viewpoint when investigating 
TIP cases and are required to remain unbiased when investigating 
whether a crime took place. 
 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  008 OF 013 
 
 
There are no legal impediments to a victim seeking legal redress, 
but the Romanian legal system is slow-moving and often victims are 
not able to remain in the location when the investigation/trial is 
taking place.  Victims are able to file civil suits against their 
traffickers as part of the criminal process or as a separate civil 
action.  There is nothing preventing witnesses from leaving the 
country, and foreigners who are victims of trafficking are 
repatriated at the expense of the Romanian government.  The 
repatriations are often as dictated by bilateral treaties which 
Romania has with neighboring and western European countries. 
Foreign citizens who are victims of trafficking have the right to 
wait 90 days to decide if the would like to cooperate in a criminal 
proceeding.  The victim witness coordination program that is 
outlined in the Qbest practiceQ section of this report has begun to 
address this issue. 
 
¶H.  The GOR has both formal and informal measures for protecting 
victims and witnesses of trafficking offenses.  The formal system 
includes assistance in changing the witnessQs identity and 
residence.  This is a specialized system that requires a 
prosecutorsQ request and an assessment based upon criteria used by 
the witness protection unit.  Although these measures have been used 
to protect witnesses in TIP cases in the past, they were not used to 
protect any TIP victims in 2007.  In addition, the victim can invoke 
less formal judicial procedures to assist in protecting their 
identity and reduce their contact with the defendant and defendantQs 
associates while testifying in court.  TIP investigators in several 
counties describe taking a personal interest in ensuring the 
protection of TIP victims.  At the same time, individual TIP victims 
have continued to complain about being contacted or harassed by 
traffickers and their associates. 
 
The GOR provides shelter services for both adult and juvenile 
victims of TIP offenses.  There are currently nine operational 
state-sponsored TIP shelters for adult victims.  The state 
facilities are emergency shelters and are not designed for long-term 
rehabilitation.  Despite this, they offer a full range of medical, 
psychological, and educational services along with social services 
and employment assistance through staff that are most commonly 
affiliated with broader social service programs for children.  Since 
the state shelters are administered through local officials, their 
facilities, services, and relationship to other service providers 
vary.  Upon the request of the prosecutor, victims are entitled to 
remain in the shelter throughout the investigation and trial. 
Police and prosecutors have a statutory obligation to inform victims 
of the right to go to a state shelter and to have access to other 
services.  In practice, investigators report that a majority of 
victims do not want to go to a state shelter.  The interpretation of 
applicable privacy rules often prevents law enforcement from placing 
the victim in a state shelter without the victimQs approval.  The 
best scenario for a trafficking victim who is interested in long- 
term assistance would be to be placed with one of the NGOs that 
support TIP victims who are in a better position to provide long- 
term care for the victim. 
 
Minors who are victims of trafficking have a series of possible care 
facilities which include: emergency centers, transit centers, the 
victimQs family with the support of social services, foster care, or 
placement centers.  If a child is identified as a victim of 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  009 OF 013 
 
 
trafficking he/she would not be placed in a juvenile justice 
detention center. 
 
In 2006, the Romanian Ministry of Justice1 changed existing law to 
make it easier for TIP victims to testify in court cases using video 
testimony. 
 
¶I.  Specialized training for GOR officials continued in 2007. 
 
The National Authority for Protection of Child Rights has developed 
partnerships for specialized training from international 
organizations to include: ICMPD, International Migration 
Organization, UNICEF, ILO and local NGOs. 
 
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs encourages its embassies to 
foster contacts with NGOs and international organizations that are 
involved in TIP issues.  The training received by MFA officers prior 
to their assignment has some applicability in assisting TIP victims, 
but, specific training for MFA officers on TIP issues is limited. 
 
RomaniaQs diplomatic missions have relationships with different NGOs 
that specialize in providing assistance for trafficked victims, as 
well as with IOM (International Organization for Migration) for 
assistance in the voluntary return of trafficked victims. 
 
¶J.  The Romanian government provides assistance to TIP victims who 
are repatriated.  The victims are repatriated at the cost of the 
government and are eligible to receive the same benefits as internal 
victims.  These benefits were described above in section A. 
 
¶K.  In 2007, as noted above, the GOR increased funding for NGOs. 
The Romanian government cooperates with the following international 
organizations and NGOs that work on TIP issues: 
 
IOs: 
UNICEF, UNHCR, ANAEM France, IOM, International Labor Organization. 
 
NGOs: 
Red Cross - Romania - information education campaigns to prevent 
child trafficking. 
 
Salvati Copii (Save the Children) 
- Activities aiming to prevent trafficking and sexual exploitation 
in the hotel and tourism industries. A group of experts developed a 
code of conduct for hotels and tourism industries.  Information 
materials were produced and distributed in hotels and through the 
tourism agencies. 
- Social assistance and counseling for child victims of trafficking. 
- Training for border police, police and social workers on 
interviewing children victims of trafficking. 
 
Caritas - anti-TIP and anti-drug information education campaigns in 
schools. 
 
AIDRom - Prevention and training activities for governmental and 
non-governmental representatives to acquire the necessary skills for 
identifying and solving potential situations that could lead to 
trafficking and to establish a network of local contacts involved in 
similar anti-TIP activities. 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  010 OF 013 
 
 
 
Young Generation - shelter, social assistance and counseling to 
victims of trafficking 
 
Social Alternatives - prevention activities, anti-trafficking 
newsletter, psychological assistance to victims of trafficking 
 
Reaching Out - long-term reintegration services to victims of 
trafficking, social assistance, counseling and shelter 
 
Adpare - shelter, counseling, reintegration services for victims and 
also prevention activities including peer education program in 
Bucharest schools 
 
Betania - social assistance and counseling 
 
Conexiuni - social assistance and counseling 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) PREVENTION: 
-------------------- 
 
¶A.  The Romanian government recognizes that trafficking in persons 
is a serious problem.  In Embassy discussions with senior Romanian 
officials, all of them from across the political spectrum recognize 
TIP as a problem in Romania.  The additional funding received by the 
NAATIP in 2007 reflects this high level interest.  The GOR is also 
very active in hosting the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative 
(SECI) Bucharest-based regional anti-crime center, and throughout 
2007 a Romanian official headed the Task Force on Combating 
Trafficking in Human Beings within SECI.  SECI is a regional model 
for the sharing of law enforcement information, including about TIP, 
and its TIP task force is one of SECI's most successful endeavors. 
 
¶B.  The GOR partnered with several different NGOs to produce anti- 
trafficking campaigns.  There have been several informational and 
educational campaigns both at the national and at the local levels 
in which the government has been either the initiator or a key. 
Some campaigns were financed by the government, while others were 
financed by international donors through NGOs. 
 
Campaigns developed in 2007: 
 
 
 
- NAATIP conducted a national anti-trafficking campaign called 
QWatch out!  ThereQs a price to pay!Q  This campaign contained 
information for the public at large about TIP issues and was 
intended to promote the NAATIP sponsored toll free number.  There 
were television spots, spots on the TAROM international flights to 
and from Bucharest, and many promotional products.  The National 
Agency for Roma translated the materials into Romani and helped to 
disseminate this information to the Roma community; 
- There was a campaign specifically targeting at-risk groups (at- 
risk children, the elderly, persons with disabilities and asylum 
seekers) called QBeware of Perfect Opportunities with Perfect Jobs!Q 
This campaign was carried out with materials and participation of a 
theater group that performed skits on TIP topics for at-risk groups. 
This campaign was carried out between July 2007 and February 2008; 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  011 OF 013 
 
 
- On EU Anti-Trafficking Day, 18 October, 2007, NAATIP carried out 
awareness activities in Bucharest and counties throughout the 
country.  Most of these activities were associated with existing 
campaigns; 
- The National Authority for Protection of Children Rights continued 
the public education campaign regarding the rights of the child 
QThe Rights of the Child are Law.Q which ran throughout 2007; 
 
¶C.  The relationships between government officials and NGOs 
concerned with trafficking continued to improve in 2007.  There is 
particularly good cooperation at the working-level that is often 
driven by personal contacts. 
 
At the national level, NGOs and international organizations 
participate in the IWG meetings. NGOs report that their presence in 
these meetings is useful at the level of information exchange, but 
their power in influencing policy is limited. 
 
More Romanian counties reported that they created similar working- 
level multi-agency teams comprised of representatives of civil 
society and various governmental institutions involved in anti- 
trafficking activities at the local level.  This was being driven by 
the 15 regional NAATIP offices located throughout the country. 
These multi-agency teams met on a regular basis and have had 
positive results 
 
¶D.  The GOR monitors its borders through the General Inspectorate of 
Border Police (GIBP).  The GIBP monitors immigration and immigration 
patterns and uses this analysis to prevent trafficking from 
occurring.  The National TIP Database is also instrumental in 
identifying trafficking trends, particularly concerning the Czech 
Republic. 
 
¶E. Coordination on TIP issues among the government, international 
organizations and NGOs occurs within the framework of the IWG, which 
is made up of various governmental ministry representatives and 
international organizations and is coordinated by the Ministry of 
Administration and Interior (MAI).  NGOs and US Embassy 
representatives are invited to all IWG meetings.  In December 2005, 
the Romanian government passed a law establishing the National 
Agency for the Prevention of TIP and for Monitoring the Protection 
of TIP Victims. 
The GOR has a specialized investigative and prosecutorial unit for 
public corruption based on the task force model.  The government 
formed an inter-ministerial council at the end of 2005 that meets 
regularly to coordinate the fight against corruption.  The Minister 
of Justice acts as the council's coordinator, and invites NGO 
representatives and journalists to the council's meetings.  This 
council oversees implementation of the 2005-2007 National 
Anticorruption Strategy, which aims to prosecute high-level 
corruption, increase transparency in public administration, prevent 
corrupt business practices, and increase the integrity of the 
judiciary. 
 
¶F.  A five year National Action Plan for Combating Trafficking in 
Human Beings was adopted in 2001.  National agencies responsible for 
the implementation of the Plan include: MAI-GDCOC, MOJ, MOF, MFA, 
NACP, MLSS, MPA and MER.  NGOs were consulted in the process of 
adopting the decision, and are intended to act as partners during 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  012 OF 013 
 
 
all phases of implementation.  The National Action Plan was widely 
disseminated through seminars and training sessions.  In 2004, the 
government adopted a separate National Action Plan on the Prevention 
of Trafficking in Children.  The Ministry of Administration and 
Interior working in conjunction with UNICEF developed a draft anti- 
trafficking strategy for 2006-2010 accompanied by a detailed action 
plan for 2006-2008.  A final form of the strategy and action plan 
was endorsed by each ministry and then adopted by the government in 
mid 2006. 
 
¶G.  Several of the awareness campaigns sponsored by the NAATIP 
targeted reducing demand for commercial sex acts by emphasizing 
respect for women and children.  NGOs that are sponsored by the GOR 
are also active in protecting womenQs rights. 
 
¶H.  As a relatively new EU member with a developing economy, Romania 
has a comparatively small number of tourists traveling abroad. 
Correspondingly, there have been no reports of Romanian citizens 
traveling abroad to participate in child sex tourism.  The GOR, 
through NAATIP, has an awareness program on child rights that serves 
to educate people on how to assist children in difficult 
circumstances.  Romanian laws regarding pedophilia have extra- 
territoriality coverage for Romanian citizens. 
 
¶I.  The NAATIP was responsible for training all Romanian 
peacekeepers on the realities of trafficking in persons prior to 
their deployments.  These training sections were conducted several 
times by NAATIP officials during 2007. 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) NOMINATION OF HEROES AND BEST PRACTICES 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶A.   TIP Heroes:  Post would like to nominate Ms. Gina Stoian, 
President of the Association for Developing Alternative Practices 
for Reintegration and Education (ADPARE), Romania as a TIP Hero 
 
Gina StoianQs NGO ADPARE provides alternative social services for 
the reintegration of victims of trafficking in persons and of young 
people at risk. In 2007, 40 trafficking victims received crisis 
assistance and over 100 victims received long-term assistance, 
assistance in the family, and monitoring. 
 
Originally part of an International Labour Organization initiative, 
ADPARE evolved into a NGO and has been operating since 2002. The 
objectives of ADPARE are to combat human trafficking and defend 
human rights through prevention campaigns, victim assistance for 
reintegration, and lobbying efforts. 
 
ADPARE provides both crisis services and long-term support for 
victims, including: psychotherapy, housing assistance, educational 
assistance, and leisure activities. A collaboration with ADPARE 
Holland created several campaigns such as QAdoptive Families for 
VictimsQ and QProtected Housing.Q In collaboration with AidRom and 
Caritas Bucharest, ADPARE launched an awareness campaign entitled 
QBeware of QperfectQ opportunities.Q The MTV Exit Campaign honored 
ADPARE with the 2006 QMTV Award for the Best Pro-Social Campaign 
against trafficking in persons.Q  ADPARE is currently expanding its 
services to include juridical assistance in collaboration with the 
 
BUCHAREST 00000178  013 OF 013 
 
 
authorities, as well as medical assistance in emergency situations 
and routine check-ups. 
 
 
¶B.  Best Practice:  One area of serious improvement in 2007 on the 
TIP fight in Romania has been the institutionalization of the TIP 
National Database that was created by NAATIP.  This database, which 
was introduced in late-2006, is a tertiary IT system using a central 
database and a web interface application.  With this system, law 
enforcement personnel are able to input data on TIP victims and all 
of the information is de-conflicted and processed at the NAATIP 
Headquarters in Bucharest.  There are roughly 100 data fields to be 
completed for each victim, which allows NAATIP to very rapidly 
identify TIP trends.  In one case regarding an increase in labor 
trafficking to the Czech Republic, NAATIP officials, through use of 
the National Database, rapidly identified this trend and was the 
first GOR institution to bring this information to law enforcement 
and policy leaders.  Since Romania is a country of origin, this 
database is customized to handle Romanian victims, but could be 
useful in other countries that have a similar TIP phenomenon.  With 
this database, Post has much greater confidence in the TIP victim 
data being presented, since problems such as QduplicatesQ and other 
anomalies are much less likely with this new system. 
 
¶6.  (U) Embassy POC is Philip Knecht, at 011-40-21-200-3435, Fax 
011-40-21-200-3442. The following Embassy personnel spent the 
approximate time indicated in the preparation of this report: PolOff 
Philip Knecht, grade, FS-04, 150 hours; POL Assistant, Rodica 
Barlanescu, 6 hours; Political Chief, Theodore Tanoue, grade FS-02, 
6 hours. 
 
¶7.  (U) Amembassy BucharestQs reporting telegrams are available on 
the Bucharest SIPRNET Website:  www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/bucharest. 
 
TAUBMAN