Sadly, many of the women who have found themselves trapped in sexual slavery in Istanbul were trafficked there from Moldova. Now we will turn our prayers to the country of Moldova, a place that is a massive source country for victims of sex trafficking around the globe. Moldova is a small Eastern European country with enormous need, and incredible potential to rise above its longstanding status as the poorest country in Europe.
Job opportunities are scarce, and upward mobility is nearly impossible for most people. This has created an environment where many Moldovans are desperate to leave the country in search of opportunities for a better life.
Many Moldovans are desperate to leave the country in search of opportunities for a better life. Migration experts believe that about one-quarter of all Moldovans now live abroad, predominantly in Russia and the European Union, and that most schoolchildren and almost all university students expect to leave the country to find work. Endemic corruption, government ineptitude, lack of infrastructure, lack of commerce, and lack of resources has put the country in a dire position.
Some have noted that patriotic sentiment in Moldova is greatly diminishing, as many Moldovans feel a sense of hopelessness about the state of disrepair their country is in. Ultimately, many Moldovans have a strong desire to be anywhere except in their country. The combination of intense desperation and hope for a better life is an incredibly powerful force that drives many young Moldovan women into the hands of their exploiters. Others buy into the myriads of advertisements for jobs in legitimate industries such as tourism, modeling, hotels, restaurants, and others—just to find that those were fronts for what they were really recruited for: prostitution.
Once in the new country, women soon find out that they barely make enough in their legitimate jobs to survive. The cost of living is high, and they must pay back large debts to the the travel and job agencies or, in many cases, traffickers that got them there, in addition to sending money home to their families—which for most is the reason they agreed to take the job in the first place.
