Defendant A and defendant B travelled to the town of Bacau in Romania in July 2012. They came in contact with four men and one woman whom they promised work in Norway. All five agreed to go by minibus with A and B to Norway, without any further agreement on payment for the travel. Their ID cards were removed from them during the journey. In Norway, A and B said that they would get back the ID cards upon payment of a total of €1000. They were forced to steal petrol and to beg, and after refusing to steal more, defendant A struck one of the victims, and they all received death threats.
In July 2012, a Romanian-speaking outreach worker in Oslo noticed that a Romanian woman begging on the streets of Oslo with four other people seemed scared and nervous. After speaking with the woman, the social worker understood that a trafficker controlled the group. Safe housing was provided and they were all granted a reflection period. The IOM assisted them in returning to Romania in November 2012. Before leaving Norway, they gave witness statements to the court about their experiences.
The police started an investigation, which included obtaining witness statements from Romania. Based on information provided by the victims, two suspects were identified and a surveillance operation initiated, which resulted in the discovery of two new cases of trafficking. Offender A later went to Romania and recruited two men in a similar way. He was arrested after arriving back in Norway.
Romania1st Instance:
Court: Oslo District Court
Location: Oslo
Date of decision:19 January 2015
Oslo District Court
In recent years, a number of Romanian citizens have arrived in Norway where they beg on the streets. Some belong to groups, often consisting of family members. Concerns have been raised about possible exploitation and trafficking within these groups.
The following case is of special interest since it shows the willingness to exploit people even for a relatively small sum of money.