REPORT: MOLDOVA'S CHILDREN VULNERABLE TO TRAFFICKING

A growing number of Moldovan children are being trafficked to Russia and forced into physical labor and prostitution, Infotag reported on 11 April, citing a recent international report. The authors of the "Trafficking in Human Beings in South Eastern Europe: 2004 - Focus on Prevention" report stressed the need to combat factors that make children vulnerable to trafficking. The report recommends preventive measures that include support for parental-education programs, specialized services for victims of child abuse and neglect, and the establishment of youth centers. Infotag cited international experts as saying that Moldova's western border with Romania is better controlled and less susceptible to trafficking than the country's eastern border with Russia and Ukraine. The report was published by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). BW