Species in Vorarlberg: Romanian prostitutes exploited?

Species in Vorarlberg: Romanian prostitutes exploited?

Feldkirch, Österreich - A 24-year-old prostitute from Romania has been standing in front of the lay judge in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, in the context of pimping and cross-border prostitution. As reported Krone , the accused is accused of luring five young women from Romania to Vorarlberg and being financially exploited. The women worked in the horizontal industry in Vorarlberg for a few days, where they deserved better than in their homeland.

The increased income was not fully paid to the women. The accused is said to have withheld 50 percent of the income without providing consideration. In this context, it is also claimed that she has not paid any taxes or social contributions. The defense presents the defendant as a kind of "interface between supply and demand", which has written advertisements for the women and has taken on costs such as for hotels. Prosecutor Fußenegger, on the other hand, argues that the accused intentionally exploited the women. In the next two months, other witnesses will be planned to bring light into the case.

human trafficking in Romania

A larger background that cannot be ignored is the alarming situation of human trafficking in Romania. According to the information from Hope for the future , 50 % of the victims of human trafficking in Romania are children, and there are an estimated over 86,000 in the country itself. The methods that human dealers use are diverse and often include the so-called "loverboy method", in which young girls are dependent on and lured abroad.

The target regions for many of these victims include Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. Organizations such as Unicef ​​and committed people like Iana Matei are actively committed to supporting victims and the prevention of human trafficking. Matei even received a human rights price in Germany for her work.

a European problem

Humanity trade is not just a problem in Romania, but also affects the entire EU. According to Deutschlandfunk , around 15,800 people were shown as victims in 2013 and 2014, with about 75 percent women being women. The increasing number of exploited children is alarming, with a share of at least 15 percent below the victims. In many EU member states, the freelancers who use the services of these people are not punishable, which also exacerbates the problem.

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

The current events related to the case in Vorarlberg throw a bright light on these far -reaching problems and illustrate the need to act against exploitation and human trafficking, especially in countries where the number of unreported cases is high and the penalties are often low for the perpetrators