The French documentary "Child trafficking", subject of debate at the National Institute of Justice

17. 06. 2022

The film "Child Trafficking", is reporting Franco-Romanian judicial cooperation in order to abolish human trafficking network, was presented at the National Institute of Justice (INJ) on Friday, 17 June 2022. After watching the documentary – an educational project addressed in special for young lawyers - followed a round of debates.

At the event participated Ecaterina Popa, ad interim Director of the National Institute of Justice, Pierre de Monte, liaison magistrate from the Embassy of the French Republic in Bucharest, with competencies for the Republic of Moldova and Romania, Oliver Ballande, documentary's producer, Jean-Michel Gentil, investigative magistrate of the Judicial Tribunal from Paris, Olivier Peyroux, French sociologist specialized in human trafficking in Romania, NIJ trainees and trainers, law practitioners,  national and international stakeholders.

Olivier Ballande's film "Child Trafficking" presents a judicial investigation about Romanian minors forced to steal in the Paris area. An legal investigation led to comprehensive judicial cooperation between the French Republic and Romania. By particular example, this cooperation activity seeks to familiarize the Republic of Moldova with the tools, actors and methods of European judicial cooperation on trafficking in human beings.

By viewing the documentary allowed both INJ's trainees, judges and prosecutors for a better understanding of how such an investigation is built, in particular through the role of informers, police cooperation, the establishment of a joint investigation team and effective coordination with EUROJUST.

The exchange of ideas, opinions and experiences launched after the screening was recorded to serve as film material and illustrate that the European judicial area does not stop at the borders of the European Union.

The event was organized by the French Embassy in Romania, through the support service of liaison magistrate with competencies for the Republic of Moldova and Romania, and the National Institute of Justice, in the context of supporting the Republic of Moldova, decided by the French Presidency in February 2021, and our country's application to join the European Union.