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Moldova and Human Trafficking

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Everyday men, women and children are trafficked in and out of Moldova; some are transported willingly, others are tricked, and some are kidnapped. Hundreds are daily losing their freedom and becoming slaves to the will of their exploiters. While the trafficking of persons can be for forced labor, a study from 2000 reports that one fourth of global trafficking is for sexual purposes. Sadly, in Moldova trafficking for the purpose of sex constitutes 80% of the total trafficking in the country and a 10% of the Moldovan population has been trafficked. Today in Moldova a human being can be purchased for as little as $150 (US dollars). This is a true crisis of human rights. What is the cause of this crisis? According to Kligman and …show more content…

This, as described above, started a war between the two areas of Moldova. The war was bloody and not only caused the deaths of hundreds of people, but also began the economic downfall in Moldova. War is expensive, and the political instability combined with the economic reform the country underwent the first few years after declaring independence from the Soviet Union caused high poverty rates. The conflict between the two areas was later frozen, with an agreement for ceasefire, but the effects of the war were lasting. Like many other countries of Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moldova experienced many economic reforms. While Moldova was known for their successful economic reforms throughout the 1990s, the citizens of Moldova greatly suffered. Poverty remained a growing problem even with the success of the reforms. According to Hensel and Gudim, “The extent of Moldova's economic collapse exceeded that of all the other former Soviet republics following the break-up of the Soviet Union.” This was partly due to the conflict that Moldova experience directly after independence, but also because of its economic interdependence and reliance with and on the former Soviet Union. The economic stress continued throughout the 1990s, and even today Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Eastern Europe.
Poverty and the Sex Trade
The economic crisis that

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