The presentation provides results from the TRACE project on the geographical routes of the human trafficking industry – Adelina Tamas and Ionut Lupascu (National Agency against Trafficking in Persons, Romania)

1. Study cases in the NL, CY, BU and RO
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2.  Victims of 152 different citizenships have been
identified in 124 countries worldwide (UNODC, 2014)
 At least 510 trafficking flows have been detected
(UNODC, 2014)
 The majority of traffickers (64%) were convicted in
their own country of citizenship. (UNODC, 2014)
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6.  5 hubs of human trafficking (EUROPOL, 2011)
 NorthWest criminal hub – the Netherlands and Belgium
 The North East criminal hub – Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia
and the Kaliningrad exclave
 South East criminal hub – Bulgaria, Romania and Greece
 Southern criminal hub – Southern Italy
 SouthWest criminal hub – Spain and Portugal
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7.  Analysis for allTHE 4 CASE STUDIES were based on
data available at national level (competent authorities in
the field of anti-trafficking data collection)
 Official statistics available in each country (BU, CY, NL
and RO) related to the victims and trafficker’s
citizenship
 Recordings, hearings, indictments regarding human
trafficking
 Desk-review
 Interviews with key stakeholders
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8.  The limited time to make the analysis
 Little information available in the literature related
to the routes of human trafficking
 The limited possibility to differentiate for the routes
for each form of exploitation in human trafficking.
 The limited possibility at national level to document
the transit routes of human trafficking
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9.  Internal trafficking in Romania & Bulgaria-own
nationals
 Internal trafficking in the Netherlands and Cyprus-
own nationals
 Transnational trafficking registered by Romania and
Bulgaria-mainly own citizens trafficked abroad
 Transnational trafficking registered by the
Netherlands and Cyprus-foreign nationals trafficked
within their borders
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10.  A country of origin for human trafficking in Europe
 Internal trafficking perceived as a training for the
transnational trafficking
 Main destination countries irrespective of type of
exploitation: Germany, Belgium, Austria, the
Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France and other
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 Transnational trafficking in Cyprus has lately more a
trans-continental characteristic. More victims coming
from other continents are identified trafficked in Cyprus
(source country-Vietnam, Philippine, India) out of the
total identified victims in Cyprus.
 European source countries for Cyprus: Romania,
Bulgaria, Lithuania and non-EU countries such as
Ukraine, Moldova or Belarus.
 Main type of transportation of the victims: air ways
(connection through the capital’s airports: Bucharest,
Sofia, Minsk,Vilnius)

12.  Main citizens identified: Dutch nationals (an
increase in the share out of the total identified
victims from 25% in the previous years to 32% in
2013), followed by Bulgarians, Hungarians,
Romanians, Nigerians.
 Main flow of human trafficking to the Netherlands:
Central and Eastern Europe and Africa.
 Other source countries from Africa and Asia
(Nigeria, Guinee, China, Sierra Leone, Filipine,
Uganda) and South America (via Surinam).
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13.  Romania is a country of origin for human trafficking in
Europe and a destination for internal trafficking
 The main destination countries in the last 5 years
were Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, UK,
Greece
 Less than 10 foreign victims were trafficked and
identified in Romania in the last 5 years
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15.  Data coverage: 2009 or more recent
 In general source countries are among the poorest
countries or the destination countries are more
affluent (relative to the origin country).
 Romania and Bulgaria have similar registered flows
of human trafficking irrespective of the form of
exploitation.
 Domestic trafficking-a period of training of the
victims for the transnational trafficking
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16.  Transnational flows of trafficking are in the majority
of the registered cases mainly in Europe.
 The routes from RO and BU go toWestern and
Nordic European countries.
 The routes to NL and Cy are more complex, victims
are coming from EU countries, European third
countries (Moldova, Ukraine) , but also widening to
countries from other continents, Asian countries
(India, Sri Lanka), African ones (Morocco, Nigeria) or
South-American countries (Brazil, Colombia).
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17.  Particularities for forms of exploitation:
 Flows ofTHB for labour exploitation in Europe tends to be
also trans-regional/from other continents (Nigerians or
Chinese trafficked in the Netherlands) andVietnamese or
Indians trafficked in Cyprus.
 Flows ofTHB for sexual exploitation and for exploitation
through begging or other crimes are more often seen
within Europe (origin and destination countries) but also
within domestic trafficking
 Flows of human trafficking in Europe-flexible-victims
could suffer exploitations in more than one country
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18. When victims are coming from other continents or
other regions, traffickers use different strategies to
emulate the legality: use to pass through theTurkish
occupied area in Cyprus, manage to take identity
papers for the victims from other European
countries , through illegal smuggling, enter illegal
with counterfeit identity papers.
In the same time a numerous number of victims are
entering the destination countries legally, with
genuine documents.
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 The routes within Europe are changing slightly
 An increase of the Romanian and Bulgarian victims was
observed lately to the Scandinavian countries (Sweden,
Norway, Denmark) for labour exploitation (berry pickers)
or possible for exploitation for committing illegalities or
begging.

20.  victims are travelling mainly with cars (owned by
the trafficker or by someone from the criminal
group) or buses or minibuses (with international
transport companies)
 travelling by air is observed mainly in the cases of
trans-continental trafficking
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23. AdelinaTAMAS
Sociologist
E:mail: adelina.tamas.anitp@mai.gov.ro
National Agency againstTrafficking in Persons
ROMANIA
www.anitp.mai.gov.ro
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