Abstract
After the fall of the Communist regime, the Romanian population has decreased approximately 15%, due to the high level of labour migration. The migration of Romanians was even more intensified later on, after Romania has joined the European Union. This decrease of population was due to an increased demand of the West-European population for domestic, construction and agricultural workers, corroborated with the entitlement of the new European citizens to free movement of workers within the territory of the European Union. As a direct consequence, a minimum of 82,464 children were left behind. Given that, more and more national and international reports have started to consider children left behind as a potential vulnerable group to human trafficking Therefore, the authors of this article have started to conduct a qualitative research intending to determine, if and to which extent, children left behind are vulnerable to human trafficking. The findings of the research are presented herein.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Data provided by the Romanian National Agency Against Human Trafficking (ANITP), and collected through the National System of Identification, Monitor and Evaluation of Human Trafficking Victims (SIMEV).
- 2.
The Romanian SIMEV has revealed, in 2015, several victims that were living with relatives (22); had no support from the family (34); were institutionalized (51). Despite that this data does not remit directly to the phenomenon of children left behind, a confirmation has been made during an interview with an ANITP worker that many of the identified children were left behind.
- 3.
International Convention for the Suppression of the “White Slave Traffic,” May 4, 1910, 211 Consol. T.S. 45, 1912 GR. Brit. T.S. No. 20, as amended by Protocol Amending the International Agreement for the Suppression of the White Slave Traffic, and Amending the International Convention for the Suppression of the White Slave Traffic, May 4, 1949, 2 U.S.T. 1999, 30 U.N.T.S. 23, entered into force June 21, 1951.
- 4.
29th April 2004, Council Directive 2004/81/EC; The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 3 May 2005 and the European Directive 2011/36/EU.
- 5.
For further details please access the Romanian Criminal Code on http://www.legislationline.org/documents/section/criminal-codes/country/8
- 6.
“Dirigentie” – Educational class in which the form master discusses different topics of interest with the pupil.
References
(Save the Children) Salvati Copiii Romania. (2015). Date centralizate de A.N.P.D.C.A. privind Situatia copiilor cu parinti plecati la munca in strainatate. Available via http://copiisinguriacasa.ro/pentru-specialisti/studii-si-cercetari/date-centralizate-anpdca-privind-situatia-copiilor-cu-parinti-plecati-la-munca-in-strainatate/. Accessed 18 Dec 2017.
Agenția Națională Antidrog. (2016). Raport naţional privind situaţia drogurilor. Ministerul Afacerilor Interne, Agenţia Naţională Antidrog, Serviciul Observatorul Român De Droguri Şi Toxicomanii, București. Available via http://www.ana.gov.ro/rapoarte%20nationale/RN_2016.pdf. Accessed 17 Nov 2017.
Aninoșanu, L. (2012). Speranze in vendita: Ricerca qualitativa relativa alla tratta a scopo di sfruttamento sessuale in Romania e Italia, nel periodo 2007–2011. Anima Nova. Available via http://www.animanova.ro/mylib/download.php?guid=2238. Accessed 30 Jan 2018.
Aninoșanu, L., László, E., D’Amico., & Gutiérrez, L. (2016). Trafficking for sexual exploitation of Romanian women. A qualitative research in Romania, Italy and Spain, GIRL.
Autoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Copilului și Adopție. (2016). Rapoarte de activitate. Available via http://www.copii.ro/search/Raport+de+activitate+2016. Accessed 3 Dec 2017.
Chelcea, S., Marginean, I., & Cauc, I. (2001). Cercetarea sociologică. Metode și tehnici. Deva: Editura Destin.
Cojocaru, S., Islam, R., & Timofte, D. (2015). The effects of parent migration on the children left at home: the use of ad-hoc research for raising moral panic in Romania and the republic of Moldova. Anthropologist, 22(2), 568–575. Available via https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291295115_The_Effects_of_Parent_Migration_on_the_Children_Left_at_Home_The_Use_of_Ad-Hoc_Research_for_Raising_Moral_Panic_in_Romania_and_the_Republic_of_Moldova. Accessed 27 Dec 2017.
Cooper, S. (2005). Medical, legal and social science aspects of child exploitation. A comprehensive review of pornography, prostitution and internet crimes. Volume One. Missouri: G.W.Medical Publishing Inc.
Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics and violence against women of colour. Standford Law Review, 43, 124–129. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039.
European Commission. (2015). EUROSTAT report on trafficking in human beings – 2015th edition. Available via https://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/publications/trafficking-human-beings-eurostat-2015-edition_en. Accessed 21 Dec 2017.
European Parliament. (1996). Resolution A4–0326/95 on Trafficking in human beings. Available via http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:51995IP0326&rid=1. Accessed 17 Dec 2017.
Europol. (2011). Trafficking in human beings in the European Union. Available via https://www.europol.europa.eu/node/468. Accessed 9 Dec 2017.
Fussey, P., & Rawlinson, P. (2017). Child trafficking in the EU. Policing and protecting Europe’s most vulnerable. New York: Routledge.
GRETA Group, European Council. (2012). Report concerning the imple mentation of the council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings, First Evaluation round by Romania 2012.
Ippolito, F., (2015). De(C)onstructing children’s vulnerability under European Law. In F. Ippolito & S. Sanchez (Eds), Protecting vulnerable groups. The European Human Rights Framework. London: Hart Publishing.
Irimescu, G., & Lupu, A. (2006). Home alone! Study made in Iasi area on children separated from one or both parents as result to parents leaving to work abroad. Asociatia Alternative Sociale. Available via http://www.childrenleftbehind.eu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2006_AAS_CLB_Romania.pdf. Accessed 20 Dec 2017.
Kendall, V. M., & Funk, M. T. (2017). Child exploitation and trafficking. Examining global enforcement and supply chain challenges and U.S. responses. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Law No. 272/2004 on the Protection and Promotion of Child Rights.
Law No. 286/2009 of the Criminal Code.
Law No. 292/2011 on Social Assistance.
Law No. 678/2001 on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.
Luca, C., Gulei, A. S., & Azoiţei, N. D. (2008). Working methodology, social, psychological and juridical assistance for children left home alone as result of their parents going to work abroad. Iași: Alternative Sociale Association.
Matu, G., & Schwartz, A. (2013). Exploitation of vulnerable groups through human trafficking. In Tomiță M. (Ed.) SPECTO 2013. 4th International conference on psycho – Social perspectives in the quasi – coercive treatment of offenders, Timișoara, April 2013. Medimond International Proceedings Division, Bologna. pp. 377–383.
Pânzaru C, & Reisz RD (2013). Validity of the push and pull hypothesis for the explanation of Romanian migration flows. Journal of Social Research & Policy, 4(1), 93. Available via https://search.proquest.com/docview/1504138453?pq-origsite=gscholar. Accessed 11 Dec 2017.
Pascoal, R. (2017). The analysis of the concept of vulnerability on the International legal framework on Human Trade. Revista Debater a Europa (17), “União Europeia e o combate ao tráfico de seres humanos”, University of Coimbra.
Peroni, L., & Timmer, A. (2013). Vulnerable groups: The promise of an emerging concept in European Human Rights Law. International Journal of Constitutional Law, I CON (2013), 11(4), 1056–1085. Oxford Journals.
Predescu, O., & Tomiță, M. (2014). Resilience-Victimology-Criminal Justice or a brief introduction in Legal Resilience. Romanian Journal of Forensic Science, 15(5). Available via https://search.proquest.com/openview/fbc69ca98f80c9e55381dabc52a49b09/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=976334. Accessed 22 Dec 2017.
Rentea, G. C, & Rotărescu, L. E. (2016) Yesterday’s children, today’s youth: the experience of children left behind by Romanian migrant parents. In V. Ducu & A. Telegdi-Csetri (Eds.), Managing difference in Eastern-European transnational families 1(51–170). Peter Lang, Frankfurt. doi:https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-631-70237-603_Anexa1_HG_Strategie_protectia_copilului.pdf. Accessed 22 Dec 2017.
Sandu, L. (2016). Profiluri de risc ale potențialelor victime minore și a traficanților ca urmare a apartenenței unui grup vulnerabil. Timișoara: Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara Publishing House.
Sănduleasa, B., & Matei, A. (2015). Effects of parental migration on families and children in Post-Communist Romania, RSP no. 46, 196–207.
Seeberg, M. L., & Goździak, E. M. (2016). Contested childhoods: Growing up in migrancy. In M. L. Seeberg & E. M. Goździak (Eds.), Contested childhoods: Growing up in migrancy. Migration, governance, identities, IMISCOE Research Series (pp. 1–23). New York: Springer Open. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44610-3.
Segrave, M. (2013). Human trafficking. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Shelley, L. (2010). Human trafficking. A global perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.
SIMEV Agentia Nationala Impotriva Traficului de Persoane. (2015). Raport anual – evolutie trafic – 2015. Available via http://www.anitp.mai.gov.ro/raport-anual-evolutie-trafic-2015/. Accessed 10 Nov 2017.
Stănculescu, M. S., Anton, S., Iamandi-Cioinaru, C., Neculau, G., Corad, B., & Troceea, A. (2011). Helping the invisible children. Bucuresti: Governul Romaniei.
Stănculescu, M.S., Pop, A., & Marin. M. (2012). Being a child in Romania. A multidimensional diagnosis. UNICEF, Bucuresti. Available via https://www.unicef.org/romania/Being_a_child.pdf. Accessed 17 Dec 2017.
Tamimi, Y. (2015). The protection of vulnerable groups and individuals by the European court of human rights. Available via http://njb.nl/Uploads/2015/9/Thesis-The-protection-of-vulnerable-groups-and-individuals-by-the-European-Court-of-Human-Rights.pdf. Accessed 26 Nov 2017.
Tomiță, M. (2014). Developing alternative understandings of conflicts that involve delinquent children through life space crises intervention. Revista de Cercetare si Interventie Sociala, 44: 67. Available via https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=129209. Accessed 7 Dec 2017.
Tomiță, M., Schwartz, A., & Stoica, C. (2017). Prevenirea traficului de persoane in rândul grupurilor vulnerabile mai putin vizate. In Predescu et al. (Eds.) DECRET. Conferinţa naţională cu participare internaţională “Devianţă si Criminalitate. Evoluţie, Tendinţe şi Perspective”, (pp. 429–436) Bucuresti: Universul Juridic.
Toth, A., Munteanu, D., & Bleah, A. (2008). Analiză la nivel naţional asupra fenomenului copiilor rămaşi acasă prin plecarea părinţilor la muncă în străinătate, Alternative Sociale. Buzau: Reprezentanţa UNICEF România. Available via https://www.unicef.org/romania/ro/Raport_final_HAC.pdf. Accessed 30 Jan 2018.
U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. (2015). Trafficking in persons report. Available via https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2015/. Accessed 27 Dec 2017.
U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. (2016). Trafficking in persons report. Available via https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2016/. Accessed 27 Dec 2017.
U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. (2017). Trafficking in persons report. Available via https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2017/. Accessed 27 Dec 2017.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2012). Global report on trafficking in persons 2012. United Nations, New York. Available via http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/Trafficking_in_Persons_ 2012_web.pdf. Accessed 27 Dec 2017.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pascoal, R.H., Schwartz, A.N.E. (2018). Are Romanian Children Left behind a Vulnerable Group to Human Trafficking?. In: Ducu, V., Nedelcu, M., Telegdi-Csetri, A. (eds) Childhood and Parenting in Transnational Settings. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90942-4_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90942-4_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90941-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90942-4
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)