Pimping in Vorarlberg: Romanian prostitutes exploited?

Pimping in Vorarlberg: Romanian prostitutes exploited?

A 24-year-old prostitute from Romania has been standing before the lay judges' court in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, since Tuesday in connection with pimping and cross-border prostitution. How crown reports, the defendant is accused of luring five young women from Romania to Vorarlberg and exploiting them financially. The women worked for a few days in horizontal trades in Vorarlberg, where they earned better than in their home country.

However, the collected income was not fully paid out to the women. The defendant is said to have withheld 50 percent of the income without providing anything in return. In this context, it is also alleged that she has not paid any taxes or social contributions. The defense presents the defendant as a kind of “interface between supply and demand” who wrote advertisements for the women and covered costs such as hotels. Prosecutor Fussenegger, however, argues that the defendant intentionally exploited the women. More witnesses are scheduled to shed light on the case over the next two months.

Human trafficking in Romania

A larger background that cannot be ignored is the alarming human trafficking situation in Romania. According to information from Hope for the future 50% of human trafficking victims in Romania are children, and there are estimated to be over 86,000 victims in the country. The methods used by human traffickers are varied and often include the so-called “loverboy method,” in which young girls are made dependent and lured abroad.

The target regions for many of these victims include Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. Organizations like UNICEF and committed individuals like Iana Matei are actively committed to supporting victims and preventing human trafficking. Matei even received a human rights award in Germany for her work.

A European problem

Human trafficking is not just a problem in Romania, but affects the entire EU. Loud Deutschlandfunk Around 15,800 people were identified as victims in 2013 and 2014, with around 75 percent being women. The increasing number of exploited children is particularly alarming, with a proportion of at least 15 percent among the victims. In many EU member states, the clients who use the services of these people are not prosecuted, which further exacerbates the problem.

EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has repeatedly stressed the moral and legal unacceptability of human trafficking and called for increased efforts by Member States to combat this crime. The main driving forces behind human trafficking are primarily sexual exploitation (67% of all cases) and labor exploitation.

The current events surrounding the case in Vorarlberg shine a bright light on these far-reaching problems and highlight the need to take action against exploitation and human trafficking, especially in countries where the number of unreported cases is high and the penalties for perpetrators are often light.