.jpg)
Crime in Moldova, as everywhere in thePost-Soviet states, has risen in the 1990s, after thefall of the Soviet Union, although in recent years there has been an improvement.Corruption in Moldova,economic anddrug-related crimes are the most visible and predictable results of the deteriorating economic situation. Racketeering and the mafia have also risen up during the 1990s and 2000s. Petty crimes, such as pickpocketing and street thefts, are also common.[1][2]
Corruption in Moldova is one of the country's most serious problems. In 2014, $1bn has vanished from three of Moldova's leading banks.[3]
In 2023, Moldova had a murder rate of 2.27 per 100,000 population.[4] There were a total of 78 murders in Moldova in 2023.[4]
Akin to other former Soviet states, Moldova has experienced high crime rates in the 1990s afterits independence, with the murder rate reaching a high of 11.4 per 100,000 people in 1992, as well as a value of 10.18 per 100,000 people in 2000, being typically in the range of 8-9 per 100,000 people during the first decade after independence.[5]
Illicit cultivation ofopiumpoppies andcannabis is carried out in Moldova, mainly for consumption inCIS countries. According to NATO, drug trafficking in Moldova is valued between $200 million to $250 million per year.[6]
Moldova is atransshipment point for illegal drugs to Western Europe.
TheCIA names human trafficking, widespread crime and underground economic activity among major crime issues of Moldova.[7] Moldova is a source and transit nation in thetrafficking in human beings, in particular women and girls into forcedprostitution. Theannual country human rights report from theUnited States Department of State pinpoints some involvement by government officials and Moldovan law enforcement in human trafficking.
According to theUnited States Department of StateTrafficking in Persons Report of 2018:[8]
"The Government of Moldova does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore Moldova was upgraded to Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by investigating and prosecuting more suspected traffickers, including complicit officials, and increasing budgets for victim protection. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. Identifying victims and conferring official victim status continued to be a challenge. Corruption, particularly in law enforcement and the judiciary, impeded prosecutions and influenced the outcomes of cases, including cases against complicit officials. Victims continued to suffer from intimidation from traffickers, and authorities provided uneven levels of protection during court proceedings."
E. Benjamin Skinner in his book "A Crime So Monstrous", on page 156, speculates that between 1991 and 2008, up to 400,000 women were trafficked from Moldova.[9]
According to Amnesty International, the most common human rights abuses in Moldova are restrictions onfreedom of association, unfair trials, torture and other ill-treatment in places of detention, and discrimination againstLGBT andRoma minority.[10]
