Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, Moldova has faced major economic difficulties related to the transition from a planned to a market economy. This drastic change has resulted in increased vulnerabilities of children to commercial sexual exploitation due to a significant increase in migration (including of children and youth), a large number of children still living in institutions, or the large number of runaway children living on the streets. Children from ethnic minorities (such as the Roma) are also especially vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation. Despite the lack of quantitative information, there is enough evidence to prove that commercial sexual exploitation affects a consistent number of Moldovan children and is often linked to child trafficking.
ECPAT International’s newly published Country Monitoring Report on the status of action against the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Moldova is now available on-line.