Romania urged to act on traffickers by GRETA in 2021

The GRETA report notes that Romania remains predominantly a country of origin of victims of trafficking in human beings

A rights group called GRETA (Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings) had called attention to the crime in Romania last year, even as far-right influencer Andrew Tate was detained by authorities in the country on Thursday.

In a press release in June 2021, GRETA had urged Romania to ensure that human trafficking offences lead to effective and dissuasive sanctions and that victims of trafficking have access to compensation.

The report also noted that Romania remains predominantly a country of origin of victims of trafficking in human beings.

The year-old press release by the group has resurfaced after Mr Tate locked horns with climate activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter.

Earlier this week, Mr Tate tagged Ms Thunberg in a post bragging about the carbon emissions of his various sports cars.

“I have 33 cars,” he began, before listing the specifications for his Bugatti and Ferraris.

“This is just the start,” he continued. “Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions.”

Ms Thunberg replied: “Yes, please do enlighten me. email me at smalld***energy@getalife.com.”

He then shared his response in a video in which a two-minute clip has him speaking, wearing a robe and holding a cigar.

At one point, he is seen collecting two pizza boxes from someone and placing them on the table.

Subsequently, authorities in Romania used Mr Tate’s social media post in which he ridiculed Romanian pizza chain, Jerry’s Pizza, to confirm he was in the country.

The pizza boxes, it seems, helped authorities track him down.

Civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo, sharing a screenshot of Mr Tate’s video from the day before and tweeted: “Romanian authorities needed proof that Andrew Tate was in the country so they reportedly used his social media posts.”

The coincidence of the GRETA group release from last year and the exchange between Ms Thunberg and Mr Tate that led to authorities finding him was also highlighted by Ms Caraballo in another post.

Mr Tate, a former kick boxer gained a large following of men online, and has been banned from various social media sites, for his aggressive and oftentimes misogynistic views. In 2016, he was booted out from the reality TV show Big Brother, after a video emerged of him hitting a woman with a belt.