At this moment Moldova is at a political crossroads. But will it move into the direction of the EU?

Wolfgang Behrendt is head of political and economic department of the Delegation of the European Commission in Chisinau. He believes Moldova is on the right track. Igor Munteanu, director of the influential social-economic think-thank IDIS Viitorul believes that the EU should put more effort into the monitoring of the reforms.

Political reforms

Behrendt: “There are improvements in this country, but it goes step by step. The big problem for Moldova is not to create the laws, but to implement them. I believe there is a lack of well qualified people. And those who are skilled leave the country, or work for a company which pays more than the government.”

Munteanu: “The EU should put much more pressure on the reforms of governmental institutions. In the past years they were supporting political figures who promise change, like what they did with president Voronin. That is obviously not working. One of the big problems right now, with reforming the institution, is the fact that the power of the presidential clan is everywhere.”

Behrendt doesn’t want to comment on the presidential influence within society. “But there has to be a change in mentality on all political levels. In this country things have gone on a certain way for many years, and now they have to do it on our terms. The elite in the top knows what the EU wants from them. But to get it all the way down, into all levels of the bureaucracy, that is another story.”

Totalitarian state

During the demonstrations in April, people got killed, journalists reporting on the scene were beaten. In the aftermath people became terrified of the police, students got tortured and NGOs got checked by financial police. That doesn’t seem like a move towards EU, but more a move towards authoritarianism.

Behrendt: “I don’t believe this country is going in the direction of an authoritarian state like Belarus. Remember that Moldova is a country in transformation, with all the problems that come with that. Like a weak and fragile state. It is slowly moving in the right direction, and sometimes it moves back.”

Munteanu isn’t that positive. He is afraid that his country might end up on the wrong track. “This moment, right after the April elections, is a crossroad for Moldova. Now the EU should stick to its principals. If it promotes prosperity and democracy, it should keep the principles very high. The European Union often has a lot of arguments not to do something for us. We are too far, we are too busy, we are still digesting. We know these arguments very well. But now it’s time for them to say that their principles really matter, also for the European citizens outside their borders.”

Expectations of the people

Behrendt: “I believe that the people of Moldova are realistic. They understand that accession to the EU is right now not on the agenda. In this country there is this hope that the EU will bring a better life. A hope not only for more money and better living conditions, but also for more stability and rule of law. They hope that the EU can help them achieve that.”

Munteanu: “Our country does not need the EU as a gift overnight. This country needs transformation, and that can only be accomplished if there is a golden ticket at the end of the race. But in general people expect too much from the EU. That is something you see in all the countries which are willing to integrate. What it is that Moldavians really want from the EU? The commitment of the EU, people need this to accept the fact that they have to suffer. In the end all we need is some democratic solidarity.”

“Everything about this example is true,” says Lilia Gorceag. “Except the name.” Gorceag worked with Natasha as a psychologist at the International Organization of Migration. The organisation has a shelter for victims of human trafficking in one of the suburbs of Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.

Gorceag’s goal is to help victims of trafficking to feel at peace with themselves . “It is very important to show the victims that they are not guilty. All that Natasha wanted was to help her family and get a better life. She trusted someone she thought had good intentions, but that person betrayed her.”

The example of Natasha is not an individual case. Every year hundreds, maybe thousands of Moldovan girls get trafficked and end up in forced prostitution. Although there are no exact figures on how many people get trafficked, estimations are that one to two per cent of the migrants will find themselves at a certain moment in a situation which could be defined as trafficking.

Returning after being trafficked

In the last decade the International Organization of Migration (IOM) Moldova helped more then 2000 people to come back to Moldova. People like Natasha, who worked in the sex business, or people who have experienced other forms of labour exploitation.

With help from other IOM offices, anti-trafficking NGOs or local police the victims of traffickers are directed back home. At the border they are welcomed by someone from IOM Moldova, who offers them help. “Often they don’t want it,” says Gorceag. “They are afraid that they will be locked up again. But after we show the facilities and explain what we do, most of them agree to stay at our shelter for a while.”

Another source for victims is the Moldovan police, who in the last few years have received special training on human trafficking. They might notice that something is wrong at the border control, when someone comes back. The local police also plays an important role. They might get suspicious when they see somebody that comes back after a few years with no money and behaving strangely. What that behaviour is? Gorceag: “For example they don’t come out of the house, or they have serious problems and fights with their family.”

When the victims enter the doors of the IOM shelter the work for Gorceag and her five colleagues starts. “First thing we do is sit down and talk about the experiences. This way the victim gets the chance to reveal all the stress, the emotions, the pain, the fears.”

Not only girls

The word girl or woman are carefully avoided by organisations of human trafficking. Instead they use victim or beneficiary. “Human trafficking is always associated with girls that end up in prostitution,” says Viorelia Rusu. “But that is not always the case. Men are trafficked as well, ending up in forced labour. And so do kids and old women, they have to beg for money on the streets.”

Rusu works as an analyst at the anti-trafficking organisation La Strada. The international organization is based in eight Eastern European countries, trying to prevent trafficking and helping people who are being trafficked to escape their situation.

The reason why the statistics of La Strada show that 95 per cent of the cases are woman and three quarters involves sexual exploitation, is clear for Rusu. “The Moldavian way for men to react is: They just cheated on me, it’s my own fault. The men don’t see themselves as victims of traffickers. They are ashamed to receive any psychological or medical help. ”

This is also what IOM experience. From the 19 people currently in the shelter, only one is a man. According to Gorceag men are afraid to get assistance. “But labour exploitation is not better than sexual,” she says. “They live in similar bad situations. There is a lot of violence, they are locked up and make awful long working hours. The men suffer from health problems, and in some cases they are also sexually abused.”

Start a new life

After Natasha arrived at the shelter, she received help in all kinds of fields. She got assistance on legal issues, from getting her papers done to the possible prosecution of her trafficker. She received medical treatment, social assistance and psychological counseling. The ultimate goal is to help a victim to start a new life.

In most cases all the help is done without the family noticing. “The biggest fear is that their relatives find out,” says Gorceag. “In 90 per cent of the cases the fact that they were trafficked is kept secret.” The reason for this is that the victims are afraid their families will abandon them, or that the whole community will find out and see her as a prostitute.

But the chances that a victim is able to get a normal life again, are variable. Some get reintegrated very well, while others have a hard time. “The rehabilitation goes well when a person has some decent education and when there is a family around which is supportive,” according to Gorceag. “But sadly that is not always the reality. In most cases one, and sometimes both factors are missing. If the latter is the case, there is a bigger risk they will be trafficked again.”

Informing about migration, instead of preventing

Sadly enough there will always be a chance that people get exploited as long as they are searching for a better life, believes Rusu of La Strada. But the organisation is not advising people not to go abroad. “That simply wouldn’t work,” says Rusu. “There are too many positive examples of migration. People want to leave the country as long as others are coming back with money to pay for the education of their children, to buy a house or drive a fancy car.”

The tactics of La Strada, and IOM, is to inform people about the risks involved with migration. Big television campaigns, posters, leaflets and school visits are all part of that. But the most important is the 24/7 hot-line, which La Strada runs to inform people. Daily it receives between five to ten calls from people who have questions because they have been offered jobs abroad, or relatives who are worried about someone.

“People do get more aware of dangers,” Rusu says. “Specially after we run campaigns, then we see big peaks in the number of calls.” But she also likes to refers to a survey La Strada held two years ago. 52 per cent of the responders said they where aware of human trafficking, the rest had heard about it, but couldn’t say exactly what it was. “And we have come far,” states Rusu. “When we started with La Strada in 2001, nobody knew anything about trafficking.”

Although all the information provided and growing awareness, there still is a chance things will go wrong. That’s why La Strada is these days also providing foreign contact details of local anti-trafficking organizations which can help victims. Rusu: “Just in case they end up in a bad situation.”

Since the age of 16 Pascovschi has been involved in politics. He talks full of passion about it. For a long period he was vice-president of the youth organization of the Liberal Party in Moldova. Now he’s trying to get his way into the political arena.

Demonstrations

Pascovschi walks to one of the places he likes in Chisinau, the Central Park. “You see this graffiti here.” He points to a slogan saying ‘Dont worry’. It was put there during the demonstrations after the elections. “You find anti-government slogans these days all around the city. People do want political change here.”

Unfortunately Pascovschi could not attend the massive demonstrations. “I was doing my internship in Rome” he says. “I saw the news and was thinking ‘What am I doing here in Italy? I need to go back to my country. This is the time! But I couldn’t.”

Europe

Pascovschi returned only two weeks ago to Chisinau. He really has to get used again to Moldovan standards. “I find it really hard to see what kind of conditions our people live in. The difference between the EU and Moldova is so big. It’s unbelievable.”

He understands that many of the young people leave the country. “Under these conditions it’s really hard to find a job, and especially one which also pays some good money.” But the massive migration has two sides to it for Pascovschi

The positive side, he believes, is that it will improve the country in the long run. “In Italy I experienced that it is possible to have a better life. Like me, there are so many others who come back, and try to improve the conditions in our country.” But at the same time there is a negative side. “I have the feeling only old people stay in Moldova with their old fashioned view of things.”

Inspiration

One of the people who doesn’t have an old fashioned view is the mayor of Chisinau. Dorin Chirtoaca of the Liberal Party is hated by the Communist Party, but a great inspiration for Pascovschi. At 30 Chirtoaca is part of a new generation of politicians. “He’s a man that stands for his principles and is not afraid for the pressure by the government. That is what I like about him.”

“The best thing about the mayor is that he is a politician who doesn’t think about himself, because that is what most politicians do in Moldova. He could have taken the easy road, he has money, so he could just build a nice house and live his life. But he chose to fight for a better life in this country, a life with European standards. He believes that our country can do much better. But there are only a few people who think like this.”

Change

Like so many young people in Moldova, Pascovschi hates the Communist government. “What do they do for this country? Nothing. They are the problem.” In Pascovschi’s voice you hear the anger. “The president and government have the power to move this country into the direction of the EU or Russia. But now, there is nothing. Thanks to them there is no development in Moldova.”

Pascovschi believes that the youth has the will to change, more than the old generation who are largely in favour of the Communists. “We have a mentality to change things. The youth thinks about the future and how we can get on the same level as the EU. The old mentality lives by the day. As long as it’s the same or better as the day before, it’s okay for them.”

For Pascovschi that is not the way forward. “We need to think about the future of Moldova. We need perspective inside this country, so we have a reason to live for tomorrow.”

Strawberries are everything for Lozovanu. “You cannot have too many of them,” he smiles. “Everybody wants to eat our strawberries. In our village, we are famous.” He takes a small plate and finds the biggest and the best.

But the love for strawberries is not the most interesting thing about Gheorghe Lozovanu. In a country where a quarter of the workforce is abroad, it’s hard to find someone who has made a clear decision to stay in Moldova.

Staying in Moldova

The reason for Lozovanu to stay is simple, but at the same time complicated. “It doesn’t feel good to leave my country,” he says. He takes his time and starts to think about it. “It is a feeling which is hard to describe. This is my country, these are my roots.”

“When you leave Moldova, you can’t really contribute to the development of the country,” he believes. Although one third of the country’s GDP are remittances, experts say the money that is sent back, is not invested into the society. Lozovanu agrees. “The money they earned in Italy is put into the house, or a car.”

But that doesn’t mean he blames his fellow Moldavians for leaving. “Everybody in this country dreams of a good life and many believe they can find it in another country. It is true you can make much more money abroad. But it takes more to have a good life. For example being close to your family and friends.”

The village is my home

Lozovanu was born and raised in the village of Lozova. A wide spread village 45 kilometers northwest of the capital Chisinau. It is located between green hills filled with vineyards and young barley. A fresh valley wind sweeps the branches of the willows in front of the house. Like his family name, the village originates from these trees which you find everywhere in the region.

This is home for Lozovanu. For no price does he want to live somewhere else. During his agriculture study he spent a few months in Great Britain. “At the moment I entered the plane, I knew that this wasn’t right.”

Improving business

So after his study, he decided to improve the situation and took a more commercial stand on the strawberry fields of his parents. “On the countryside everybody believes they are an expert. But they aren’t really. Things just go as they always went. My parents never studied how to grow strawberries. They just did it.”

Lozovanu takes an other approach. “For example I experiment with different races, bigger ones then we normally have here in Moldova. People are not used to them, but they love them.” He also invests time in studying about his product. “I read books about the best way to grow them. If you want to improve things, you have to study. I think it’s the key to everything.”

Lozovanu dreams of improving his business even more. Last year he applied for a US fund to create an irrigation system, but he didn’t get it. “There are limited amount of funds, and in our region some other projects received the money.” Another thing he loves to have is a greenhouse, so he isn’t dependent on the seasons and can work all year long.

Fear for corruption

But at the moment Lozovanu isn’t that keen on making his strawberry business much bigger. The reason for this is the fair amount of corruption in the country. According to the World Economic Forum this is after the difficulties of getting finance, the biggest factors why people are not investing in Moldova.

“Right now the government leaves us alone. We only have half a hectare of ground and we sell our products on the market in Chisinau. Nobody wants any money from us. But if your business grows, people will see money. At that moment everybody wants their share.”