ProTECT is a social initiative dedicated to combating human trafficking, in which the Missio Link International Foundation has been an active member since its inception. This year, we focused on strengthening support for survivors (individuals who experienced trafficking) and influencing policies at both national and European levels. Our work ranges from creating an essential guide for interacting with survivors and establishing standards for assistance centers to actively shaping the National Anti-Trafficking Strategy and rejecting a pro-prostitution report at the European level. Our work continues.
Pioneering Survivor Support: Interaction Guide and Licensing Standards for Assistance Centers (2025)
One of the key objectives for the ProTECT Platform in 2025 is to create an Interaction Guide for Survivors, specifically for individuals who have exited exploitation. This guide aims to support organizations working with victims by providing them with the necessary tools to understand the context from which survivors come and, at the same time, to offer concrete services and support to individuals with experience of trafficking and exploitation.
Simultaneously, we intend for this guide to be a valuable tool for potential employers, educational institutions, and even public bodies, specifically for the staff within these institutions who interact with human trafficking victims in their daily work. It is crucial to emphasize that the status of a trafficked person is not a deficit or a label. The purpose of this guide is not to portray victims as inferior individuals who require indulgence and tolerance from others, but rather to raise awareness of this phenomenon among those who interact with this vulnerable category.
In early 2025, the Platform contributed to the development of national standards for licensing centers dedicated to human trafficking victims. These standards represent the legal framework upon which centers offering services to victims of human trafficking will be licensed and legally operate. These standards, mandated by current legislation, are essential to guarantee the quality, safety, and effectiveness of services offered to this vulnerable group, ensuring them a coherent and structured path toward recovery and a new life.
A Consolidated Vision: National Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy 2024-2028
The normative act concerning the National Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy 2024-2028 has been published, and the ProTECT Platform contributed substantially to the drafting of this document. Based on the pillars of Prevention, Punishment, and Assistance, the strategy incorporates ProTECT’s proposals, including a funding mechanism for victims, a National Identification and Referral Mechanism (NIRM) for human trafficking victims, and last but not least, trafficking prevention (including for migrants). Future priorities involve operationalizing funding and the NIRM, creating assistance standards, and monitoring the implementation of the plan. Together, we are making a real difference!
Victory at the Council of Europe: Stopping the Pro-Prostitution Report (October 2024)
On October 3, a pro-prostitution report, which could have indirectly legalized prostitution within the European Union, was withdrawn from a plenary vote at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). This crucial victory, a result of remarkable collective mobilization, was led by Romanian MEPs, alongside MEPs from Sweden, France, Spain, and Germany. With 51 votes for withdrawal, we gained precious time to advocate for a redrafting of the document in favor of trafficking victims. The year 2024 has been favorable for the anti-trafficking movement at the European level, marked by the adoption of several resolutions and the rejection of a pro-prostitution report. The fight continues for a Europe where the most vulnerable women and girls are not commodified.
Contribution to the Evaluation of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) (2024)
At the invitation of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), which evaluated the Romanian state’s actions to raise awareness and reduce this phenomenon, the ProTECT Platform contributed the perspective of non-governmental organizations experienced in human trafficking to the questionnaire for Romania’s fourth evaluation round. Our responses, alongside those of state institutions and other NGOs, will form the basis of GRETA’s country report, which will include recommendations for addressing vulnerabilities in human trafficking.
