An increasing percentage of trafficking victims in Moldova being
married women is thought to be linked to a corresponding rise in
family members and friends becoming part of the trafficking
process, according to IOM.

In an annual statistical profile of trafficked victims assisted
by IOM in Moldova, partly used to reveal new trends, the
Organization found that more victims were describing
‘recruiters' for trafficking networks as people they were
close to, including family members.

Married women with children in particular were falling prey to
such ‘recruiters'. Although the number of newly registered
cases of victims of trafficking has not significantly increased -
up from 265 in 2005 to 295 in 2006 –the percentage of married
women with children has risen dramatically in recent years from 17
per cent in 2004 to 55 per cent in 2006.

"Trafficking as it is: A Statistical Profile 2005-2006 Update",
funded by the Danish Foreign Ministry, also found that that the
high level of domestic violence in Moldova including rape and
incest, was an important factor in trafficking levels. Independent
surveys in Moldova have found that 40 per cent of women aged
between16-35 have suffered from domestic violence with rates being
higher among groups particularly vulnerable to being
trafficked.

Based on interviews carried out with trafficked victims assisted
by IOM, the profile update also revealed more and more victims,
including married women, are accepting high risk jobs such as a
dancer, prostitute or hostess in order to escape abuse or
poverty.

Although Turkey and Russia have now replaced the Balkans as the
primary destinations for trafficked victims from Moldova, the
overriding majority of victims are still trafficked for sexual
exploitation (82 per cent). However, the number of cases of labour
exploitation is gradually increasingly, particularly in Turkey and
Russia, to about 11 per cent.

The profiling has, nevertheless, revealed that in some aspects,
human trafficking in Moldova has not changed. Poorly educated women
from rural areas are still the most vulnerable to human
trafficking.

"We know through our daily work with victims that almost all of
them were victims of socio-economic misery and abuse before their
trafficking ordeal. By adopting a more proactive prevention
strategy aimed at high-risk groups, we feel we can tackle human
trafficking in Moldova more effectively," says IOM's Chief of
Mission in Moldova, Martin Wyss. "This means providing assistance
such as counselling to those who might otherwise fall through the
social net, vocational training and placement on other programmes
that can help unemployed potential victims find a job or temporary
shelter if they are escaping domestic violence."

In 2006, as many as 512 people were offered preventive
intervention assistance by IOM as opposed to 35 in 2005.

"Trafficking as it is: A Statistical Profile 2005-2006 Update"
can be downloaded from "http://www.iom.md/materials/traff_eng.pdf">http://www.iom.md/materials/traff_eng.pdf

For further information, please contact:

Martin Andreas Wyss

IOM Moldova

Tel: +373 69 120155

E-mail: "mailto:mwyss@iom.int">mwyss@iom.int

or

Cathy O'Grady

IOM Moldova

Tel: +373 69 123905

E-mail: "mailto:cogrady@iom.int">cogrady@iom.int