The event was organized by the Friendship Foundation Arad, Pointman Leadership Institute and the National Agency Against Human Trafficking – Regional Center Timișoara, with the purpose of bridging the interaction between the public institutions, NGO’s and national and international experts, whose main activity is represented by combating and preventing human trafficking, as well as edifying working methods and collaboration/cooperation among the targeted juridical entities.

Concurrently, the organizers have set to identify possible partners, in the ranks of the nongovernmental organizations, with the purpose of creating a functional structure, made up of nongovernmental organizations, for preventing human trafficking and for offering assistance to the victims of this crime.

An additional aim of the symposium was represented by the transfer of ethical principles and good practice models in the area of combating and preventing human trafficking, as well as experience exchange in the controversial area of assisting and protecting the victims of human trafficking.

The symposium represents an answer offered to the European Union dual call to the European community, including regional and national agencies, as well as to EU institutions and agencies, to counter the challenges raised by transnational crime, on the one hand, and on the other hand to offer a clear and comprehensive reaction in the direction of multidisciplinary policies, characterized by coherence and coordination, involving all targeted factors from the countries of origin, from the countries that are being transited and from the destination countries.

Organized crime is essentially and primarily linked to human trafficking and drug use, thus the efforts to prevent and combat these phenomena justify employing all the resources of the community – be they public or private.

Chief Commissary Mihaela Tomiţă commenced the event by taking the floor, representing the National Antidrug Agency – Regional Antidrug Prevention, Evaluation and Counseling Center, followed by Tarcea Romeo Florea, president of the Friendship Foundation Arad, Adrian Ţolea, vice-president of the Arad County Council, Mirel Talpeș, national representative of Pointman Leadership Institute; the representative of the National Agency Against Human Trafficking, inspector Ana Maria Codrun and Prof. Marțian Iovan, vice-chancellor of the “Vasile Goldiș” University Arad.

The moderators of the symposium were: Chief Commissary Mihaela Tomiţă, representative of the National Antidrug Agency – Regional Antidrug Prevention, Evaluation and Counseling Center, and Commissary Sorina Țogoie – Officers in the Penitentiary Administration Training Center.

There were also representatives of local public institutions who took the floor, among which were the Arad County Police Inspectorate and the Arad County School Inspectorate.

In the symposium attendance there were 105 representatives of the 44 public institutions/NGOs listed below:

1. National Agency Against Human Trafficking (Bucharest)

2. National Agency Against Human Trafficking – Regional Centre Timisoara (Timis County)

3. National Agency Against Human Trafficking – Regional Oradea (Bihor County)

4. National Agency Against Human Trafficking – Regional Cluj Napoca (Cluj County)

5. Department for Organized Crime Investigation – Arad County

6. Department for Organized Crime Investigation – Cluj County

7. Brigade to Combat Organized Crime – Arad County

8. Brigade to Combat Organized Crime – Timis County

9. Brigade to Combat Organized Crime – Bihor County

10. Brigade to Combat Organized Crime – Cluj County

11. General Anticorruption Department

12. Romanian National Council for Refugees

13. Arad City Hall

14. Archdiocese of Arad

15. National Antidrug Agency – Regional Centre Timisoara

16. Prevention, Evaluation and Antidrug Counseling Centre

17. General Direction for Child Protection and Social Assistance

18. Direction of Development and Community Assistance

19. Probation Service – Court of Arad

20. Arad County School Inspectorate

21. Arad County Employment Agency

22. National Agency of Prisons

23. Training Centre of Prison Officers

24. Arad County Prison

25. Arad County Police Inspectorate

26. Timis County Police Inspectorate

27. County Police Inspectorate – Bekes Couty – Hungary

28. County Police Inspectorate – Csongrad Couty – Hungary

29. Border Police – County of Arad Inspectorate

30. Border Police – County of Timis Inspectorate

31. Border Police – Bihor County

32. Rangers Inspectorate of Arad County

33. West University „Vasile Goldis” Arad

34. West University of Timisoara

35. „Aurel Vlaicu” University Arad

36. „Young Generation” („Asociatie Tanara) Association Timisoara (NGO)

37. „ProVita” Family Help Association Sibiu (NGO)

38. „Child Dream” („Vis de Copil”) Charity (NGO)

39. „The Society for Children and Parents” („Societatea Pentru Copii si Parinti”) (SCOP) Timisoara (NGO)

40. „Philantropy” („Filantropia”) Charity Timisoara (NGO)

41. „Philantropy” („Filantropia”) Federation (NGO)

42. „Ratiu for Democracy” („Ratiu pentru Democratie”) Foundation (NGO)

43. „Drept” Association (NGO)

44. „World Teach” Association (NGO)

The topics that were addressed during the 3 days were in accordance to a structured schedule as follows:

Day I – The seminar on „Preventing Corruption” encompassed the following subthemes: „A global perspective on corruption”, „A characterization of corruption”, „Why and how to eliminate corruption”, „The Integrity and Professional Way”

Day II – The seminar on „Preventing human trafficking – with special regard to the cooperation between the civil society and the specialized government agencies” had the following content: „A global perspective on human trafficking”, „The process of human trafficking and its actors”, The regulation of human trafficking in the Law No. 678/2001 and the New Penal Code”, „The juridical and community instruments for preventing, combating and sanctioning human trafficking” and „UK’s strategy in combating and preventing human trafficking. Case studies”

Day III – The seminar on „ Preventing human trafficking – with special regard to the cooperation between the civil society and the specialized government agencies” was made up by the following sections: „The Victim Referral Mechanism”, „Legislation and assistance – pros and cons”, „Human trafficking. Contradictory aspects regarding the confiscation of goods used in committing the crime and goods resulted from the crime”.

Part of the third day activities were several workshops, in order to offer participants the opportunity to become proactively engaged in the debates and conversations that took place.

The symposium speakers were:

1. Michael Craig ASKEW - Pointman Leadership Institute – Regional Director, Superintendent of the Met Police, Intelligence Office of the London Met Police, UK.
2. Nicholas A. SENSLEY – Humanity United – Chief of Police, Truckee, California (retired), expert in the field of preventing and combating crimes against humanity and human trafficking, expert for ATEST (The Alliance To End Slavery and Trafficking).
3. Len Crowley – Pointman Leadership Institute – Executive Director
4. Commissary Ana Maria Codrun – National Agency Against Human Trafficking – Regional Center Timișoara
5. Prof. Petre DUNGAN – West University Timișoara, Department of Law and Administrative Science
6. Prof. Tiberiu MEDEANU – West University Timișoara, Department of Law and Administrative Science
7. Mariana PETERSEL – “Young Generation” (Generație Tânără) Association, Timișoara Branch – President

As a result of the symposium, the organizers will issue a publication which will be comprised of the participants’ studies, in order to achieve a higher level of assimilation of the information that was presented throughout the symposium and to enable more adequate exposure for those studies which were not properly looked at during the seminars.

The scientific committee constituted for this purpose has 8 members:

1. Prof. Aurel ARDELEAN – Chancellor – ”Vasile Goldiș” University Arad
2. Prof. Petre DUNGAN – West University Timișoara, Department of Law and Administrative Science
3. Prof. Tiberiu MEDEANU – West University Timișoara, Department of Law and Administrative Science
4. Lector Dr. Speranța MILANCOVICI – ”Vasile Goldiș” University Arad, Department of Humanities, Political Science and Administration
5. Lector Dr. Pavel PALCU – ”Vasile Goldiș” University Arad, Department of Juridical Science
6. Prof. Viorel PAȘCA – West University Timișoara, Department of Law and Administrative Science
7. Adina SĂLĂJEANU – Legal Advisor – PRO PRIETENIA Arad Foundation
8. Mirel TALPEȘ – National Representative -  Pointman Leadership Institute

As a result of the symposium and due to the participants’ incentive the decision was taken to organize a follow-up of this activity on a yearly basis, in such a way that the steps that have been made towards reaching the objectives will be edified.

Moreover, the symposium resulted in the coagulation of a county-wide network for combating and preventing human trafficking and on the other hand the bringing into existence of a regional partnership for preventing human trafficking and for assisting the victims of this crime.

The sponsors and collaborators of the event were:

For details, please go to:

http://www.volunteersonthemove.eu/

During this period, active volunteers of the Pro-Friendship Foundation along with students and teachers from local High-Schools will be involved in greening activities throughout the Beius Town, will watch the “Memories from Hell” documentary which is part of the “victims”program and hold debates on violence.

UPDATE  May 16, 2011:

April brought more trouble in the family of Marcela. Her main support, her grandmother, suffered a stroke which left behind a right-side paresis. During hospitalization of her grandmother, Marcela was cared for by one of her uncles, and neighbors.

At present, due to poor health of the both, Marcela and her grandmother were forced to move to her aunt that now gives care to both of them. These recent events made it impossible for Marcela to follow her treatment further in the recuperation center, and according to the doctors, it won’t happen very soon either, because her grandmother’s paresis isn’t going to get any better for at least three-four months.

District Volunteer Centre was launched at the initiative of Educatio Association in partnership with Pro-Friendship Foundation Arad, and was funded by Arad County Council Arad County Cultural Center and National Authority for Youth and Sports.

Along with the inauguration of the headquarters, the website www.voluntariatarad.ro was launched, where people can register as volunteers and thus, be a part of the organisation. In the following period, a volunteer recruitment campaign will be held in schools and universities throughout Arad County

These volunteers have contracts with our foundation for an indefinite period, during which they operate frequently in all activities of the Foundation Pro-Friendship Arad.

The event consisted in helping with the cleaning of the care home. The volunteers cleaned from floors to windows and green spaces belonging to the care home.

Today Martin family is living in Caporal Alexa and it is composed of nine members: the two parents and seven children. Two of the children are staying in families whom have made a commitment to raise them until the age of 18. The ages of the children are between one (the twin girls) and 14.

The story of this family is a sad one. They have been forced to move from one place to another, the reason being that they do not have a house or apartment of their own. At one point they got to live on the Bank of the River Mures in Arad, a place from which they were asked to leave by the rangers. The local press took this case and helped them to move in a house in Arad county, in Firiteaz. This house belonged to the Town hall of Firiteaz. Sadly the house wasn’t in such a good condition, thus after two months the family was again challenged to find a new place were to live. Also the mother and the children got very sick (pneumonia), and needed to check in the hospital for a period of time.

Their case was again noticed through the press. Some NGO-s and churches from Arad got involved in order to find solutions for the Martin family. The Town Hall of Caporal Alexa took some measures to reach a family who owned a house in which no one lived at that time.  The owners of the house agreed to let the Martins live there, but with a condition: to keep everything in good condition. Even so, they continue to have financial problems as the mother is a homemaker and the father works occasionally. All the money they earn goes for the food of the family.

Through the “Milk and bread stick” Campaign, started in November 2010, we have managed to offer support by giving them food, so that the children may grow up healthy. Also through the “Social Inclusion and Community Support” Program held by our organization, with the indispensable help of the Procter and Gambel Company, we helped the family with detergent, soap, shampoo, tooth paste, tooth brushes, and products for daily hygiene.

The Project goal was to raise awareness about the dangers children are exposed to at each stage of their development as well as  the consequences of crime, human trafficking, sexual abuse, and what this means to the victim, his or her family, and the aggressor.

Initially, the project was geared towards students in the 11th and 12th grades, but due to the very high impact of the information among the students of lower grades, the project ended up being conducted with 9th and 10th graders.

The project started Monday, 4th of April, 2011, by putting up posters in the school. Two sessions were held from 9 to 13 o’clock in the chemistry laboratory, involving a total of approximately 100 students from 11th and 12th grade, and continued Tuesday at the same time, with the other four classes of the school. In total, during the two days, about 200 students were informed on the consequences of violence in both school and family.

During the sessions students  responded to specific questions about violence - what it means and how it manifests; they watched a documentary, completed a questionnaire about their opinion on aggression and violence and  received ”the pink bracelet” - ”kids count” considering the campaign motto: “In any family where there is some form of violence, children suffer the most, and afterall they are the ones that matter”. The planning  session that followed on the 6th of April involved 175 students from 9th and 10th grades.

Thursday 7th of April, an ecological activity took place with 5 classes of two Kindergartens from Stei. The goal of this activity was to inspire the children to love nature and to protect the earth. The children were taught a song, especially written for this event, they played games and colored images with animals and flowers. The drawings were displayed in the Kintergarden’s yard.

Both the Local Public Administration of Stei, the school and kindergarten teachers were impressed by the ongoing events, recognising the importance and benefits of such projects for students and children alike.