PROTECTION
The government demonstrated weak efforts to protect trafficking victims, as the number of victims identified far exceeded services available to assist them. The government relied on NGOs to identify and assist victims, but did not provide any financial support due to a legal preclusion of direct funding for NGOs. Public officials and NGOs identified 757 victims in 2014, a decrease from 896 in 2013. Seventy-four percent of victims were female and 38 percent of victims were children. Sixty-three percent of victims (475) were subjected to trafficking for sexual exploitation and 25 percent
(188) for labor exploitation in agriculture and construction. Police used the government’s national victim identification and referral mechanism, though observers noted they relied too heavily on NGOs to take the lead in identifying victims. Approximately half of the registered victims (380) benefited from rehabilitative assistance provided by public institutions and NGOs. The government referred victims to government-run domestic violence or homeless shelters when NGO-run trafficking shelters were full. Local governments financed and operated emergency assistance and transit centers for repatriated victims. Local officials in a county near Bucharest renovated a building to serve as a government- run shelter devoted solely to assisting trafficking victims, but the shelter did not open during the reporting period due to lack of staffing funds. Child trafficking victims received non-specialized care in facilities run by the Romanian child protection service or facilities for children with disabilities. Observers reported some victims returned to their homes by the government were subjected to trafficking again by family members. Romanian law entitled victims to medical and psychological care, legal aid, and reintegration support, though quality varied greatly across facilities, particularly counseling services.Victims previously not part of the formal labor market had difficulty qualifying for medical coverage and relied on NGOs to pay medical service fees up front. The government continued to operate a hotline for trafficking victims, though it was not staffed during evenings and weekends.
Romanian law permits foreign victims a 90-day reflection period, though experts reported this was not always respected in practice. Victims who cooperate with authorities to identify traffickers could receive a temporary residence permit for up to 12 months but are not allowed to work in Romania. Of the total trafficking victims identified in 2014, 69 percent (525) participated in criminal prosecutions against their traffickers. Some victims reportedly chose not to testify because the justice ministry published the names of all trial witnesses, including children, on its public website. Romanian law entitles victims to restitution from their traffickers; however, the majority of victims could not afford the fees necessary to pursue court-ordered restitution. Prosecutors typically dropped charges and fines against victims for crimes committed as a result of being subjected to human trafficking, but some victims were still charged with crimes, such as theft.

PREVENTION
The government sustained prevention efforts. The National Agency against Trafficking in Persons coordinated implementation of the 2012-2016 counter-trafficking strategy developed in consultation with NGOs and drafted an updated 2015-2016 action plan.The agency regularly published reports and statistics on trafficking. The national agency assisted in the implementation of six NGO- led national awareness campaigns and 53 local campaigns that reportedly reached an audience of over two million people.The government partnered with NGOs, a multinational bank, private companies, and a foreign embassy to raise awareness of trafficking in Romanian schools.The government has never reported punishing a recruitment company for trafficking-related acts, despite a 2006 amendment to the criminal code that prohibits Romania-based recruitment companies from facilitating the exploitation of citizens abroad. The national anti-trafficking agency launched an online messaging campaign against the solicitation of prostitution, but the government did not take steps to reduce demand for forced labor.The government provided anti-trafficking training or guidance for its diplomatic personnel.

RUSSIA: Tier 3 
Russia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Labor trafficking remains the predominant human trafficking problem within Russia, escalating in the context of Russia’s significant increase in labor migration. Official and unofficial statistics estimate there are between five and 12 million foreign workers in Russia. Foreign laborers work primarily in construction, housing and utilities, and as public transport drivers, seasonal agricultural workers, tailors and garment workers in underground garment factories, and vendors at marketplaces and shops. Many of these migrant workers experienced exploitative labor conditions characteristic of trafficking cases, such as withholding of identity documents, nonpayment for services rendered, physical abuse, or extremely poor living conditions. During the year, workers from Russia and other countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia— including Vietnam and North Korea—were subjected to forced labor in Russia. Instances of labor trafficking have been reported in the construction, manufacturing, agricultural, textile, grocery store, maritime, and domestic service industries, as well as in forced begging, waste sorting, and street sweeping. Organized crime syndicates from Russia sometimes play a role in exploiting labor migrants. There were reports of Russian citizens facing forced labor abroad.
There were also reports of children and women from Europe (predominantly Ukraine and Moldova), Southeast Asia (primarily Vietnam),Africa, and Central Asia being subjected to sex trafficking in Russia. Law enforcement cases from the reporting year indicate forced prostitution occurs in brothels, hotels, and saunas, among other locations; certain traffickers advertised the sexual services of some minors over the internet. In 2014, Russian women and children were reportedly victims of sex trafficking in Russia and abroad, including in Northeast Asia, Europe, Central Asia, Africa, the United States, and the Middle East.
According to official sources, in previous years, there were criminal cases involving Russian officials suspected of allegedly facilitating trafficking in Russia, for instance by facilitating victims’ entry into

Russia, providing protection to traffickers, and returning victims to their exploiters. Employers sometimes bribe Russian officials to avoid enforcement of penalties for engaging illegal workers. According to the Federal Migration Service, under a state-to-state agreement, the North Korean government sends approximately 20,000 North Korean citizens to Russia annually for work in a variety of sectors, including logging in Russia’s Far East; reportedly many of these North Korean citizens are subjected to conditions of forced labor.
The Government of Russia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. During the reporting period, the government referred 73 trafficking victims to an international organization where they received care; however, the government lacked a national action plan to combat trafficking, a coordinating authority for anti-trafficking efforts, and funding in the federal and local budgets for trafficking prevention and victim protection.The government took no steps to fulfill commitments to implement a Program of Cooperation between Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Member States against Trafficking in Persons or to create an interagency committee to address trafficking. The government lacked a systematic process for the identification of victims or their referral to care, though reports indicated the government identified and assisted a limited number of victims on an ad hoc basis. Prosecutions remained low compared with the scope of Russia’s trafficking problem.