Romanian Women Trafficked to Finland

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Romanian Women Trafficked to Finland

An increasing number of trafficked Romanian women work as prostitutes in
Finland's cities. Romania is one of the biggest hubs for human trafficking in
the European Union. Romanian brokers transport women across borders as
sex workers.

Today Romanian prostitutes can be found working the streets of many large
European cities, including Helsinki.

Iana Matei runs a safe house for sex workers in rural Romania. She says Italy
and Spain have typically been destination countries for human trafficking,
but the movement is now headed north.

"The traffickers are moving girls to northern European countries because in
central Europe the price has gone down as there are a lot of girls, and prices
are higher in northern Europe."

Over the past decade, hundreds of former sex workers have been
rehabilitated at Matei's centre -- many rescued from a life of sexual slavery.

"The number of girls has definitely increased, and the age of the girls has
definitely decreased," Matei elaborates.

Poverty Drives Trafficking

Romania is the second poorest country in the EU, a reason why it's fertile
ground for traffickers. Cristian Duta, a Romanian police official familiar with
Finland, says he believes Finland will soon face a flood of trafficking victims.

“Finland treats its immigrants well. This will lead to more people trying to
enter your country, especially from poorer states.”

Human trafficking is a far more lucrative business than the drug trade.
Romania's EU membership has eased the movement of criminals. The country
is now working to join the visa-free Schengen area, which is expected to
swing the door wide open for trafficking rings