The Trafficking of Women for Sexual Exploitation: The Situation from the Republic of Moldova to Western Europe

Statistics that report women are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation range from 4 million globally and annually to 500,000 annually from Eastern to Western Europe alone. Moldova, a post-Soviet country, contributes to the trafficking of women as a result of diminished women’s rights, the feminization of poverty, corruption and government hesitation to commit to prevention, legal and prosecution reform, all of which make Moldova a prime country of origin