Child sexual exploitation is a devastating problem that continues to be persistent all around the world, including in Romania. Romania has taken several steps to combat CSE, such as implementing legislation, developing policies and programs, and collaborating with various entities. In this article, we will explore these efforts.
But first, how has Romania defined CSE? Romania does not provide a definition of CSE but does define sexual exploitation under the broader definition of ‘exploitation of a person’. It is stated that exploitation of a person shall mean […] forcing into prostitution, pornographic performances with a view to the production and to engage in prostitution, pornographic performances for the production and dissemination of pornographic material or other forms of sexual exploitation […].
Legislative actions
Romania has implemented several laws addressing CSE. The most important ones are:
The Codul Penal 286/2009, which criminalizes various CSE-related crimes, such as:
Lege 196/2003 which prohibits the creation and management of paedophile websites, with internet providers required to block access to non-compliant websites.
Lege 272/2004, which ensures the protection against the exploitation of children and introduces measures to prevent exploitation and support victims, including their recovery and reintegration.
However, there is a significant lack of legislation onchildren digital safety. Additionally, teachers are required by law to report abuse. However, they often lack awareness or the tools to handle such situations effectively. Only 18% of the teachers have received training on recognizing and reporting child abuse.
Victim support and helplines
Several helplines and reporting services have been created to help prevent CSE or to give advice to victims of CSE. Some of these services are:
Policies and Programs
Besides legislative actions, several policies and programs have been developed to prevent CSE or to support its victims.
Awareness campaigns
Two notable awareness campaigns that have been launched are:
Victim support programs
A few different victim support programs have been launched and created in the past five years, the three most notable ones being:
Cooperation, monitoring, and accountability
Addressing CSE requires cooperation across agencies, sectors, and borders. Romania has made significant efforts in collaboration to combat CSE.
National and NGO collaborations
Romania funds many NGOs working on child protection.However, 70% of government–funded NGOs have expressed feeling pressured to avoid criticizing the government due to fear of losing their funding. Independent advocacy and research must be safeguarded to ensure transparency and accountability.
International cooperation
Romania has been actively participating in international cooperation to combat CSE, Such as the WeProtect Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online, Europol, Eurojust, Interpol, and the Safer Internet Program Committee.
Additionally, Romania has also collaborated with countries like France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden, all of these countries are common destinations for Romanian victims of human trafficking.
To conclude, Romania has made significant progress in combatting CSE, such as criminalizing CSE, launching awareness campaigns, and establishing victims’ support programs. However, challenges remain, such as a lack of an official definition of CSE, insufficient child digital safety laws, and limited training of professionals. These challenges must be addressed to make a greater impactin combatting CSE.
Featured Photo from Unsplash by K. Mitch Hodge
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