Prostitution in Romania is not itself criminalized, although associated activities, such as procuring , are criminal offenses, and solicitation is a contravention punishable by fines. In the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century there were legalized brothels , but these were closed by the communist regime in the late s, and prostitution itself became a criminal offense in There had been proposals in the past to legalize and regulate prostitution such as in [3] but these were rejected, especially as Romania is a party to the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others , which states that prostitution is "incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person and endanger[s] the welfare of the individual, the family and the community" and binds countries which ratify it to ban organized prostitution such as pandering or running a brothel.
According to the official explanations of the Ministry of Justice, with regard to the new penal code "the fact that prostitution will be excluded from criminal penalties does not mean "legalizing "it, transforming the activity into one regulated or permitted by law, because the persons practicing prostitution will still be sanctioned with a contravention.
On January 20, , Iana Matei was named "European of the Year" by Reader's Digest for finding and rehabilitating victims of forced prostitution. Clients are not prosecuted, unless they knowingly use the services of a victim of forced prostitution , [13] or the prostitute is a minor Art. Article [14] criminalizes procuring; it states that "The causing or facilitation of the practice of prostitution or the obtaining of financial benefits from the practice of prostitution by one or more individuals shall be punishable by no less than 2 and no more than 7 years of imprisonment and a ban on the exercise of certain rights.
The penal code also criminalizes several offenses against slavery , human trafficking , child trafficking , forced labour , and using exploited persons Art. There has been a growing awareness of human trafficking as a human rights issue in Europe. The end of communism has contributed to an increase in human trafficking, with the majority of victims being women forced into prostitution.
The Romanian government has shown some commitment to combat trafficking but has been criticized for failing to fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Courts convicted traffickers in in Romania is a destination country for a limited number of foreign trafficking victims, including sex trafficking victims from Italy and Armenia. Government officials have been convicted of human trafficking crimes, and there have been reports of local officials obstructing trafficking investigations.
