Project TACYT

TACYT Project plans to support the design, research and development of a documentary on the risks of human trafficking, especially on loverboy modus operandi, on the violence suffered by the victims during exploitation period and the lack of effective measures at the national level, as well as suspicion of corruption and impunity associated to this phenomenon. As the journalistic investigation and research is about Romanian victims exploited abroad, the present project is highly supported by the Department for Romanians from Everywhere of the Romanian Government.

The European Center for Legal Education and Research (ECLER) has been a partner of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 2014 when the program “Together against Human Trafficking” was launched.

The project cooperates for the production of the documentary with the journalist Sorin Manu, with whom ECLER cooperated in the last years on different investigations abroad. Sorin studied at the Film University in Bucharest and worked as a cameraman for Romanian and foreign televisions. For the last 10 years he has been living in Germany and since then he has been working mainly as a documentary cameraman, director and producer for broadcasters and independent productions. Sorin has a large professional experience: from 1996 to 2010 he has worked for ProTv and TVR and from 2010 he moved abroad working at the European level. Among his work samples are the following:

Milestones:

August 15, 2022 – definitive script of the documentary about human trafficking, together with a production trailer
March 31, 2023 – documentary of around 40 minutes, final version

DOCUMENTARY: Human trafficking – hidden, but in plain sight

Filming was done in 2022-2023 and editing in 2024 by Sorin Manu, Evolution art and film, with the financial support of the Embassy of the Netherlands and ECLER.

This documentary reveals the harrowing stories of human trafficking in Romania, bringing to light the suffering of the vulnerable and the lack of protection that affects their lives. Behind the numbers lie the destinies of people whose lives are stolen every day. This material highlights both the plight of criminal groups that thrive in the shadows and the complicit silence that enables this. Although there are efforts to prevent and combat the phenomenon, the painful reality is that often the resources allocated are not enough for sustainable results.
An informative and impactful material, intended to raise public awareness and encourage concrete actions to prevent human trafficking.
The project to make this documentary was supported by a grant from the Human Rights Fund 2021 of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bucharest. It is part of wider cooperative efforts between the Netherlands and Romania to raise awareness and combat human trafficking, involving government institutions as well as NGOs.

The content of this documentary does not necessarily reflect the position of the Government or the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bucharest, being only the funding authority. They cannot be held responsible for the views and opinions expressed in the documentary.