The Reaching Out shelter and our work is about saving and improving lives. Since 1998 we have been serving the victims of one of most hideous crimes the humanity has ever witnessed: trafficking in people.
Over the years we have assisted 470 victims, mostly Romanian women and girls who have been enslaved and abused in many European countries. We offered them home as well as psychological, medical and legal assistance and we made them part of our family. We shaped our activities around the needs of this extended family and we provided everybody with long term assistance with victims spending, on average, one year in the shelter. We helped many to initiate or continue their studies, to seek jobs or do whatever it took for them to rebuild their lives.
We also realized that building a future for the victims of trafficking required us to get involved in efforts to change both legislation and mentalities. Reaching Out spearheaded initiatives to ignite crossborder cooperation for fighting trafficking and trained law enforcement to better respond to the victim’s needs. We need to continue. Trafficking is still one of the most lucrative criminal businesses and too many fall pray to it. In fact, since 2007, most of the victims sheltered at Reaching Out are minors, children who need our care. We thank you for your support this far and we count on your future contribution.
Iana Matei
Follow Up:
Since 1999, Reaching Out Romania has worked with victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
During this time we have assisted over 750 victims, mostly Romanian women and girls who have been enslaved and abused in European countries. Victims are referred to us by the police, Child Protection Department and NGO’s from destination countries.
750+
sheltered victims
82%
reintegrated into society
14
years old, victims’ average age
12
current beneficiaries
240
legal cases assisted
However, when necessary, we organize the direct rescue of victims. Whilst they are in our care, we offer them a place of shelter as well as psychological, medical and legal assistance and make them part of our family. We shape our activities around the needs of this extended family and we provide everybody with long term assistance. We help many to initiate or continue their studies, to seek jobs or do whatever it takes for them to rebuild their lives.
Over the years Reaching Out has been sponsored by:
USA I’D
UNICEF
German GOVERNMENT. (GTZ)
Swiss Government.
1. Commision
On yearly, or 2 year projects. All other donors (occasional donors) are mentioned in our end of the year report.
In 2016 we started a 4 year project with the Velux Foundation from Denmark. This is a complex project targeting not only assistance for victims of trafficking but also prevention (creating alternatives) and self-sustainability. Therefore withing the project we have the social assistance component and business component. The social assistance component targets and increased number of victims to be assisted but also addresses a loophole in the current legislation. Many times the victims refered to our program suffered not only behaviour modification but are in need of psihiatric treatment. Normally these children should be cared for in a special facility where a doctor is present at all times and the environment is safe preventing them to hurt themselves or those around them. In order to address this issue we decided to build a tranzit shelter in the same courtyard where the girls going to school can be moved and take a step towards independent living. They will not be monitored 24/7 by an adult (social worker) they will be encouraged to manage their own time in order to do their homework, cook for themselves and have recreational time also. They will participate in group and individual therapy upon request or at the psychologist recomandation after evaluation. Also ROR opened another shelter in Cluj, operational since May 2016 with a capacity of 6 beds.
Prevention with no alternative dose not work. Victims need to further their education but also need a paid job since 30% of our survivors come from rural areas it makes sense for them to look for a job in the agricultural field . In 2014 ROR received a donation of 50 hectares of land and within project we decided to develop the land into a farm consisting of 10H of orchard and a Jam factory, 2h of lavender, wheat, Lucerne for animals. O the top of the hill a 3 bedroom social house will be built where 6 of our beneficiaries can live for one year while working on the farm and receiving wages. 5 H of land are situated nearby the farm will be parcelled into smaller lots and given to the girls who worked and have been qualified on the farm. The qualification is done by the agricultural Institute in Craiova within a project especially designed for the girls. Every girl will work the lot for one year in lease. At the end of that year if the results are good and the team from the agricultural Institute decides that the results are good that lot of land will be put on her name.