Good news for the anti-trafficking community in the Republic of Moldova - The Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) has decided to extend specialization mandate for judges on human trafficking cases for at least five years. This Decision also establishes the revised list of related cases that will be examined by specialized judges, including crimes related to the sexual exploitation of children in the digital environment.
Over the past year, several international experts, who have interacted with representatives of the national justice system specializing in anti-trafficking, have made observations and recommendations to improve procedures for examining and prosecuting human trafficking and related crimes. The recommendations of international monitoring reports, such as the US State Department 2020 report and the recommendations of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), were also taken into account.
Many of these observations were made by international experts during the trainings for judges specializing in examining cases of human trafficking, which took place during the current year. These recommendations made the argument of an official request on behalf of La Strada Moldova's management addressed to the President of the Superior Council of Magistracy.
Based on the official request of the General Prosecutor, Alexandr Stoianoglo, on October 27th, the President of the Superior Council of Magistracy, Luiza Gafton, signed Decision no. 309/26 regarding the extension of the specialization mandate for judges on trafficking cases for a minimum term of 5 years.
In addition, according to the SCM Decision:
- It is recommended that the presidents of the courts appoint judges specialized in the field of combating trafficking in human beings and related crimes for a period of 5 years, with the possibility of extension;
- It is recommended that the presidents of the courts of appeal appoint at least two panels of judges specialized in combating trafficking in human beings and related crimes.
The complete CSM decision can be found here.
La Strada Moldova will continue to support the efforts of the anti-trafficking community in the Republic of Moldova and will monitor the capacity of the justice system to ensure adequate protection for victims of human trafficking and children that suffered from online sexual exploitation, in line with the international commitments assumed by our country.