THE ROMANIAN LEGAL SYSTEM FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS

Trafficking in human beings is one of the most damaging crimes of our days, with international reverberations. This phenomenon destroys lives, fragments markets and the global economy, undermines the rule of law and generates new criminal activities at a transnational scale. Trafficking in human beings threatens national security and international security. But above all, human trafficking suppresses the fundamental attributes that define the human being - freedom and dignity. Today, nearly two decades after the commitment to maximize its efforts in the fight against human trafficking, Romania's concrete actions to prevent and combat this crime, but especially the protection and assistance of the victims of this scourge, are still below the international minimum standard. This article aims at highlighting the successes - both small and great - achieved but also the remaining challenges in protecting men, women and children who have fallen victim to this atrocious crime. This article will also analyse the progress that our country has made in the fight against this scourge, and in particular the way in which it has fulfilled its obligations at European level in the field of victim protection.