The Government has launched the platform www.antitrafic.gov.md which is aimed at supporting the measures to combat trafficking in human beings. The website contains data about all the local commissions for combating trafficking in persons and all the hotlines, IPN reports.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Natalia Gherman told a news conference that the website is to become a communication platform between organizations and institutions. “A report on trafficking in human beings of 2012 shows, maybe for the first time, that the actions taken have positive effects,” she stated. 

The website was launched with the support of the U.S. Department of State within the Strengthening the Permanent Secretariat of the National Committee for Combating Trafficking in Persons in the Republic of Moldova Project that is implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Moldova.

Donald Caroll, the representative of the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, said that in order to emphasize the partnership between the U.S. and Moldova in combating trafficking in persons, the American people provided US$2 million for anti-trafficking actions.

Antonio Polosa, chief of the IOM Mission in Moldova, said he expects that the launched website will be accessed by a large number of people who will be able to find here information about campaigns, actions and the legal framework for combating human trafficking. The IOM will support such actions in the future too as trafficking in persons is a changing phenomenon and the offenders learned to adapt themselves to the combating measures.

According to a report for last year, in 2012 there were recorded 290 cases of trafficking in human beings, as against 131 in 2011. The rise in the number of identified cases is due to the strengthening of the intervention capacity of the police. Among the most popular countries of destination for human trafficking victims are Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.