Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian Interior Ministry

  • Partnership for the prevention of child trafficking

    Partnership for the prevention of child trafficking

    Romania is the first country in Europe to benefit from an American financial support package worth 10 mln USD, designed to improve the national system for preventing and combating child trafficking. In a ceremony hosted by Bucharest, the Romanian and American governments signed a compact partnership for child protection, intended to be implemented over a period of five years.

     

    “Human trafficking is an evil that deprives millions worldwide of their dignity and freedom. […] In order to help the most vulnerable, the United States Government will develop jointly with the Romanian Government and civil society organizations a five-year Child Protection Compact Partnership”, the United States ambassador in Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, said. The American official stated that the United States “will support Romania in its efforts to develop a victim-centered prevention strategy, to increase protection for child victims of trafficking, and to improve investigations in order to prosecute and convict perpetrators of child trafficking”. The Romanian Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, said, in turn, that the signing of this partnership is in fact a continuation of previous cooperation, showing at the same time the determination of Bucharest authorities to combat child abuse in any form. In recent years, such phenomena have grown alarmingly all over the world, including online and other forms of child exploitation and trafficking, and Romania has not been spared from this scourge, the Romanian official argued.

     

    The agreement is structured around four objectives: prevention, protection, prosecution and cooperation between government authorities and civil society. The signing of the Partnership opens a new front in the fight against human trafficking and seeks to ensure children’s online safety. Thus, the implementation of certain objectives assumed in the 2024-2028 National Strategy against Human Trafficking is ensured. Protecting children and teenagers against the dangers of human trafficking is a priority assumed by the Ministry of the Interior, through the National Agency against Human Trafficking. As part of the Partnership, authorities will set up the National Center for Combating Abuse and Sexual Exploitation of Minors Online, which will operate within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police, in addition to a Center of Excellence for Children’s Digital Security, created at the level of the National Authority for the Protection of Children’s Rights and Adoption. Additionally, relevant authorities expect an increase in the level of awareness of the population regarding the risks of child trafficking and their sexual exploitation online. The Ministry of the Interior reasserted its commitment to continue efforts, in cooperation with the other relevant institutions and authorities, to combat human trafficking and improve the protection and assistance offered to victims of such crimes. (VP)

     

  • Romanian Interior Ministry’s 2014 Report

    Romania is a safe country; criminality has been curbed significantly, and the rate of street crime has reached the lowest value of the past years, reads the Romanian Interior Ministry’s 2014 report, presented early this week by Interior Minister, Gabriel Oprea. The number of crimes committed in rural areas has also dropped, said Gabriel Oprea, according to whom the most important resources of the ministry is represented by its staff.



    Gabriel Oprea: “We all know that, in order to achieve performance, you need skilled people, who are motivated and properly rewarded for their activity, that is why, one of my priorities last year was to take measures for the proper rewarding of the ministry’s employees. Therefore, at ministry level we implemented a framework based on fundamental principles such as observing the law, protecting the citizens, observing the rights of the employees and also promoting the rule of law.”



    One of the priorities that the Romanian Interior Ministry has set for the coming period is ensuring proper border control and cyber security. Against the background of the recent international developments, the Interior Ministry has drafted a new public safety strategy for the next five years, Minister Gabriel Oprea has also announced.



    Attending for the first time the presentation of the Interior Ministry’s report, president Klaus Iohannis called on the police officers to act as role models of conduct and honesty, pleading for an increased presence of police officers among citizens.



    President Klaus Iohannis: “I think the police should focus more on prevention. Gendarme forces should carry out more activities aimed at ensuring citizens’ security and should focus less on guarding certain facilities.”



    However, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, has warned that there are several vulnerable points with regard to the activity of the Romanian Interior Ministry. She has referred to the larger number of police officers in leading positions that are currently being prosecuted and has also warned about the relations that some police officers have with business people and politicians:



    Laura Codruta Kovesi: “One of the weak points is the recovery of damage. Last year, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate froze over 330 million Euro worth of goods. Another weak point, which characterizes the judiciary as a whole, is represented by the connections between employees of the Interior Ministry and local politicians or business people.”



    Transport Minister Ioan Rus, a former Minister of the Interior, does not believe that those connections make the ministry more vulnerable and has stated that the fight against corruption and theft should be a joint effort.