Last week, we had the joy of meeting Lorena Rusovan, who is very involved in social activities in Romania. The Romanian press called her “the angel of abused girls” or “the one that heals the souls of raped girls”.
Lorena Rusovan started working with homeless children in 1991. Since 2000, she has been the director of Missio Link International (MLI) in Timisoara, a foundation that has important activities in Romania.
- MLI are the founders of the Deborah House shelter, a residential center where abused girls find hope and another meaning of life.
- They offer services for at-risk children, women, and men. For example. “Dreams” is a service for the reintegration of 18-22 year olds that leave Deborah House and are provided assistance in work integration, premarital counseling, couple counseling – precious services for people that have a hurtful past.
- Missio Link International is also leading the “I’m going to school” program – a project that covers 8 villages out of the rural Recas area, addressed to kids that have a high risk of quitting school. The prevention program consists of activities such as providing counseling to parents and financially supporting kids, thus encouraging them to continue their studies.
- MLI is also involved in a reformatory center for minors, giving them a christian education. A lot of the girls from the center have been convicted for prostitution and most of them are victims of human trafficking.
Having all these activities in mind, we asked Lorena Rusovan a few questions regarding the activities she implements in Romania.
Q: “Is there a human trafficking case that got your attention?”
A: “Yes, we actually have a case of 2 girls we discovered 2 years ago begging in a supermarket parking lot in Timisoara (they were 6 and 8 years old that time). After Child Protection Services were alerted and the authorities did their job, the girls were relocated to Deborah House. We found out they had been forced to beg in Romania and in Poland by their own mother and her boyfriend.
Presently, the girls are 11 and 13 year old. The eldest was recruited in the previous months by a classmate of hers. She told her they’d work together and make lots of money. It turned out she was taken by a trafficker in a village close to Timisoara and sexually exploited for 3 weeks until she managed to escape and come back to our center. Now she is under special protection at our center, but very often traffickers look for their previous victims, and come and tell them they want to adopt them.”
Q:”Is there a certain profile for girls and boys that are trafficked? Do they have a certain past?”
A: “After 10-12 years of being involved in this area, I can say that the profile doesn’t necessarily depend on their financial situation, however it is a factor. There are girls and boys that get caught in the “I’ll have lots of money in a short time” mirage and that end up being trafficked.
But we can also talk about girls/boys that come from wealthy families, where the relationship with their parents or other people send warning signs. We’re talking about low self esteem – this is a very important factor that leads to accepting anyone’s embraces.
Those people are not bought with gifts, but with beautiful words of appreciation. There are many girls that got caught in this trap by being charmed with words saying that they’re special, very beautiful.. (see the loverboy recruitment method)”
Q: “Do you think in Romania there are people that are ready to offer support for human trafficking survivors?”
A: “I say there are. Starting with my colleagues. :) But there’s always place for improvement. It’s important to invest in re-educating communities and institutions that interact with victims. We often find ourselves fighting against their preconceptions, instead of uniting and fighting against traffickers. Victims don’t get where they get because they want to. It can happen to anybody. This is a message that needs to be heard by policemen, teachers, by the whole community.”
Q: “In which areas would you encourage high school students to use their talents against human trafficking?”
A: “I wouldn’t encourage them to go to a certain area. If they want to be teachers, then I suggest them to develop their abilities and upbringing beyond what they see in classrooms. They shouldn’t see troubled kids as something funny, but wonder why they are like that. A while back, people would visit the homes of troubled youth, and it was very useful because people could understand their background better.
If they would like to do something in social services, then I suggest they do it with an open mind, without judging. I am very encouraged by the way in which the young generation gets involved, responds and is assertive.”
Q: “What is the greatest satisfaction you have in your field of work?”
A: “Seeing girls that I counselled with the capability of becoming wives and mothers and of dreaming. When they come to us, they don’t want anything because their dreams had been crushed. If you saw them, you’d understand. But when you see a person flourish, heal relationships and start dreaming of a normal life, of having a family, of being mothers and fathers, that is the greatest reward your work can give you.
This is the greatest accomplishment I can get in my field of work”