Human trafficking: a case study of Romania and Moldova

Abstract

From the early 1990s, human trafficking has been recognised as a serious social problem internationally. Worldwide, estimates of the total number of people trafficked annually ranges from 700,000 to 4 million (UNESCO, 2003) with the majority of these women and children from less privileged countries. Human trafficking is now the third biggest criminal business worldwide (Congressional Research Service, 2002; Limanowska, 2002a). This chapter provides a background on trafficking, the chapter outline of the research paper, its objectives and rationale, methodology and limitations. Trafficking in persons, according to the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (often referred to as the Palermo protocol) means: UN Protocol to prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, 2000, art. 3