"Following the publication of the #TIPReport 2022 and the subsequent public reactions, we have decided to request a series of clarifications from the Government of Romania, given the long and consistent series of uncertainties it has left us with."

"Members of the ProTECT platform, a network that brings together organizations involved in efforts to combat human trafficking, analyzed the conclusions and recommendations of the United States Department of State's annual monitoring report on human trafficking (TIP Report) and followed the public reactions of the actors institutional following its publication.

Romania was re-included in the group of states in Pillar 2 (Tier 2), after three consecutive years it was relegated to the monitoring list of Pillar 2 (Tier 2 Watchlist), due to the non-implementation of the recommendations contained in the reports of the last decade.

For us, far from being a victory, returning to Pillar 2 only means the circumstantial avoidance of inclusion in Pillar 3, with extremely serious diplomatic, reputational and practical consequences for Romania.

We remind you that the TIP Report is a diplomatic tool that seeks to meet minimum standards in the fight against human trafficking, and by no means a tool to identify states that have excelled.

Therefore, the classification even in Pillar 1 (Tier 1), represents only the fulfillment of minimum requirements in the 3 main areas: prevention of human trafficking, protection of victims and punishing the guilty.

Therefore, we consider that the public reactions generated by the publication of the report were overly optimistic, as there has not been a realistic, critical approach to the recommendations aimed at the systemic problems that our country still faces."

Read the Full Content of the Letter (In Romanian)