JusMin Predoiu: National strategy to combat organized crimed finalized; to be put in public debate shortly

 

The Justice Minister participated, on Thursday, in the signing of cooperation agreements between the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (ANTIP) and the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the Bucharest City Hall, respectively, to combat human trafficking and protect its victims.

 

"I am able to present the fact that the Ministry of Justice, together with other institutions, within the limit of its legal powers and competencies, has achieved this year notable actions in the sense of combating organized crime and human trafficking. I could say that this current year, in Romania, an entire system was put in motion to fight back against organized crime and human trafficking. (...) An interinstitutional working group was organized, it worked in these past month to elaborate a national strategy against organized crime, and human trafficking implicitly. A second group of the operative type was organized between the institutions with operative attributions in the domain. (...) I can announce today that the working group coordinated by the Justice Ministry together with the Ministry of the Interior has finalized the National strategy to combat organized crime, which will be put in public debate shortly. This strategy includes objectives on the short- and long-term, includes both combating, as well as prevention activities, but also the victim protection pillar," Predoiu also said.

 

In his turn, Interior Ministry Marcel Vela said that the signing of the two agreements represents a demarche that confers the guarantee of a safer future and increasing the degree of involvement of state institutions in preventing and combating human trafficking and helping victims, regardless of age, gender or social class.

 

"The importance of this demarche is emphasized by the fact that today is the International Human Rights Day, a historically charged day, which we should underline and also, at the same time, we should fight to guarantee all rights. We must not forget the sacrifices of previous generations, all the transformations through which the world has gone over time and which marked our existence and evolution in society. Human rights are universally valid - the right to life, the right to healthcare, the right to education and culture, the right to safety and protection are just some of the most important ones. Human rights are those which consolidate a safe, clean and civilized future. The gravity and consequences of human trafficking determine our actions to intensify," Vela said.