Trafficking in women from and to Romania is widespread. Recent cases
suggest there are trafficking routes between Romania, Turkey, Cyprus and Thailand.
("International Workshop on Trafficking in Women in Central and Eastern Europe,
Budapest," IOM, 4-5 October 1997)
There are approximately 2,000 homeless children in Romania. Many of them
are forced to accept money for sex to survive. AIDS is an increasing problem. (Harold
Briley, "Bitter winter for Romania’s street children," BBC, 2
January 1998)
5% of the homeless children in Romania are in prostitution. The main railway station in
Bucharest is a main area for children in prostitution. Romanian police are increasingly
arresting foreign pedophiles. Homeless children in Romania have increasingly been
trafficked under false pretenses and forced into prostitution in Berlin and Hamburg,
Germany and Amsterdam, Holland. (Save the Children study, Albert Clack, "Romania:
Life on the streets," http://www.foreignwire.com/abuse.html, 1998)
The 2,000 homeless children in Bucharest are easy prey for child
prostitution tourists. (Charity groups, "Romania court jails British priest on sex
charges," Reuters, 9 July 1998) [catwlog9807b]
Approximately 50 pedophiles, from Germany, France and Great Britain, posing as tourists
or businessmen "rent apartments where they abuse children after bribing or coercing
them." (Save the Children, "Romania holds British child sex suspect," Reuters,
7 August 1997, [catwlog9709d])
Bucharest has become an attractive destination for well-organized pedophiles due to an
estimated 2,000 children living in squalor on the city’s streets and around the main
railway station. ("Romania holds British child sex suspect," Reuter, 7
August 1997, [catwlog9709d])
Official Response and Action
Seven French men were convicted in Draguignan, France under a new French law for child
sex tourism in Romania. They were sentenced to 5-15 years. (BBC, "French court
jails men for sex tourism under new law," 29 October 1997)
Cases
A Bucharest court has sentenced Michael Taylor, a Church of England priest, to 2-1/2
years in jail (less than the maximum of 7) on charges of having unlawful sex with a
14-year-old Romanian boy. ("Romania court jails British priest on sex charges," Reuters,
9 July 1998)
3 Romanians and 5 foreign men from England, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the
United States were arrested between October 1996 and August 1997 for unlawful sex with
underage boys. Only the Austrian was sentenced to one year in prison. But the sentence was
suspended and he was expelled. ("Romania holds British child sex suspect," Reuters,
7 August 1997)