Radio România Internațional

Tag: criminals

  • Ban on convicted criminals to hold public offices

    Ban on convicted criminals to hold public offices

    No person convicted of any crime can run for local and parliamentary elections, the Romanian Chamber of Deputies decided on Tuesday, as it approved two draft laws in its capacity as a decision-making body. The persons who cannot be elected to the positions of local councilor, county councilor, mayor or president of the county council, senator or deputy, are those persons who, on the date of submitting their candidacy, were definitively sentenced to custodial sentences for crimes committed with intent, unless rehabilitation, post-conviction amnesty or decriminalization intervened.



    The first draft law adopted comes with a key amendment to the law submitted by deputy Cătălin Teniță from REPER (set up by the former Save Romania Union – USR leader Dacian Cioloș) which originally provided for a ban on the participation in elections for persons convicted of crimes against minors (rape, pornography, trafficking, serious bodily injury, etc.).



    We started from a law initially meant to protect children, given that the number of convictions indicates that in Romania, at least one child out of five is at risk of becoming a victim of sexual abuse up to the age of 18, including rape, pornography, trafficking, serious bodily injury, and so on. The fact that together with my colleagues we extended and adopted this law with reference to all criminals tells me that yes, indeed, Romania is trying to heal itself, says Cătălin Teniță, who submitted the original law together with the opposition Save Romanian Party deputy, Diana Stoica.



    The adoption of the law is a victory for the children of Romania, says Diana Stoica, for her part: This project initially started out of the desire to protect children, because we all saw how, last year, a mayor who had sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl for three years was re-elected to a public position. In the future, if this law does not pass, such persons will be able to hold public positions and be at the head of the communities, and, worse, of the country as well.



    The MPs were removed from this bill, but they were introduced, on the same day, through another bill, initiated by several National Liberal Party – PNL deputies and senators (in the governing coalition). Thus, persons who, on the date of submitting their candidacy, have received definitive criminal convictions cannot run for parliamentary elections.



    Corruption has led Romanians to have extremely low confidence in the state institutions, and it has equally weakened the state and made it poorer, said one of the initiators, the liberal Raluca Turcan: It’s never too late. Corruption impoverishes. Corruption makes young people and worthy people leave this country. Corruption makes honest, righteous people be disappointed by everything that means decision-making in Romania. Today, a big step forward has been taken so that righteous people should access key institutions.



    The two bills are to reach President Klaus Iohannis for promulgation. (LS)


  • Slaves of the Post-modern World

    Slaves of the Post-modern World

    A
    sensational piece of news was making headlines around Europe in 2010; the
    largest network of human traffickers in Europe operated from Tandarei, in
    southern Romania, had been dismantled. 25 people were sent to court for having
    smuggled 160 Roma children with the purpose of using them as beggars or in
    other so-called ‘street operations’. The incident was forgotten in a couple of
    weeks and it soon became water under the bridge in Romania and abroad. Nine
    years later, however, on December 10th 2019, a court in Targu Mures
    acquitted all the 25 people involved in the Tandarei file. In 2019, the
    abduction, forcible confinement and eventual murder of two girls in Caracal,
    southern Romania shocked the entire country and its legal authorities. The
    question was whether those two girls had been victims of human traffickers but
    no answer has been provided to this day. Who are the victims of human
    traffickers and what is the portrait of the victim like? And do traffickers
    prefer some regions to others?


    Iana
    Matei is one of the most involved activists against human trafficking and
    founder of an NGO entitled Reaching out Romania. Psychologist Iana Matei has
    also drawn up the portrait of the most vulnerable people to human traffickers.




    Iana
    Matei:
    The most vulnerable people to human trafficking are mainly children coming out
    of dysfunctional families or from foster homes. Their degree of education may
    vary from average to below average but there are even people with higher
    education. However, education is unimportant, what is important is the
    traffickers’ recruitment methods and expertise.


    Oana
    Bîzgan, an independent MP with the 2016-2020 legislature has concrete data on
    this phenomenon:


    Oana
    Bîzgan: 698
    victims were identified in 2019 alone. Out of these 83% are women; 74% of these are being
    trafficked for sexual purposes and 40% are minors. Of course the number
    represents only the victims that have been identified and registered, but we
    know pretty well that this is only the tip of the iceberg. These are official
    numbers, but the real figures, the real dimensions of this scourge remain
    unknown. Statistics are only informative and according to OSCE estimates, only one
    out of 9 victims has been identified. Let that sink in and you may get a clear
    picture of the real phenomenon in Romania.




    Referring
    to the most affected areas, Oana Bîzgan says there is a difference between the
    regions where many victims have been identified and other regions heavily
    affected by the phenomenon but without many victims reported. So, figures could
    not be trusted entirely in such cases.




    Oana
    Bîzgan: It is extremely difficult to say which are Romania’s
    most affected areas in terms of human trafficking, because we must tell the
    difference between the areas with most victims identified and areas, which are
    heavily impacted by the phenomenon, but where the number of identified victims
    is not that big. Even the process of identifying these victims is faulty.
    Statistically, we have the counties of Bacau and Dolj, in southern Romania with
    67 victims reported in 2019, double than in the previous year, but other
    affected areas are also Galati, Iasi, Calarasi, Vrancea, Prahova, Constanta,
    Mures, Sibiu and Brasov. The impact is extremely higher and we see this scourge
    is developing without problems all over the country.




    According
    to Iana Matei, the promise of a well-paid job or a luring love story may have a
    devastating effect on those who do not have the ability to see the traps laid
    before them by the cunning human traffickers.




    Iana
    Matei:
    If the recruitment method involves a dream job, its authenticity can be
    verified. If there is no such possibility, those involved can inform a relative
    about the contract, destination etc. They can also set up a deadline: ‘if I
    don’t call you until this time, something has gone wrong’. It would be better
    not to accept a dream job offer unless verified beforehand.




    Traffickers
    have often capitalized on the lack of love and affection the victim has
    experienced in early childhood. So their words of affection may work like charm
    in this case, but this charm turns out to be only black magic as Iana Matei
    explains.




    Iana
    Matei:
    The recruitment method most employed at present is known as ,
    both in the case of major girls, and in the case of children. Traffickers
    prefer girls between 10 and 12 years old because they can be easily seduced.
    And since they come from dysfunctional families, they are automatically
    delusional and buy into the promise of being loved and that somebody may care
    for them.




    As we have seen in the Tandarei case, human
    traffickers often get away with crime as legal procedures have been dragging on
    for years. And even when they get to jail, sentences have been ridiculously shortened.
    Here is Iana Matei again.




    Iana
    Matei:
    Under law 678, this crime of human trafficking used to be severely sanctioned
    and culprits could get up to 12 years in prison. Unfortunately, the law has
    been amended and these traffickers are indicted as mere pimps nowadays getting
    ridiculously minor sentences of 3 to 6 years, which most of the time are
    suspended. We are trying to revert to the old law and get decent sentences for
    these criminals, who are running their business even while in jail. We must
    also seize all their incomes, because they make big money out of this scourge.


    Independent
    MP Oana Bîzgan already has good legislative news so to say.




    Oana
    Bîzgan: For the first time in the past 12 years, traffickers
    can no longer benefit from suspended sentences. I am glad we were able to amend
    the Penal Code and tackled this issue seriously. We are still far from being
    able to punish these criminals as they deserve and for the trauma they created,
    but at least no traffickers can avoid prison now. We managed to make a clear
    statement here and criminals must become aware that this crime is punishable now
    and they will go to jail. The law is in effect and hopefully will contribute to
    preventing and fighting this scourge.