Human rights in Romania

Template:Life in Romania Human rights in Romania are generally respected by the government, although there were issues during the December 12 elections.

Police brutality

Nonetheless, there were reports in 2003 and 2004 of police brutality, in particular against Roma, and concerns raised about the failure of the government to fully investigate and prosecute alleged cases of police brutality.

Freedom of the press

The government has been accused at times of restricting freedom of the press. Journalists who wrote reports critical of government policies and actions have claimed they were targets for harassment and intimidation during the Romanian presidential election, 2004.

Discrimination

Religious minorities have complained of discriminatory treatment by the government. Societal harassment of ethnic and sexual minorities remains a problem, as do violence. Major cities continue to have large populations of homeless children, most of whom are Roma.

The government is beginning to address the problem of trafficking in women and girls for the purposes of prostitution. Discrimination and violence against the Roma minority remain problems, as is the apparent reticence of the government to investigate and punish such discrimination. Child labor abuses have been reported, as well as government interference in trade union activities.

Human trafficking

There has been a growing awareness of human trafficking as a human rights issue in Europe (see main article: trafficking in human beings). The end of communism has contributed to an increase in human trafficking, with the majority of victims being women forced into prostitution. Romania is a country of origin and country of transit for persons, primarily women and children, trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. 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.

Crime sentencing

Romania is currently the leader in total average sentence prison length served, with an average sentence of 37,488 years. <ref>[1]<ref>

See also

• LGBT rights in Romania

References

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  - Romania
• Censorship in Romania - IFEX