Today Romanian prostitutes can be found working the streets of many large European cities, including Helsinki.
Iana Matei runs a safe house for sex workers in rural Romania. She says Italy and Spain have typically been destination countries for human trafficking, but the movement is now headed north.
"The traffickers are moving girls to northern European countries because in central Europe the price has gone down as there are a lot of girls, and prices are higher in northern Europe."
Over the past decade, hundreds of former sex workers have been rehabilitated at Matei's centre -- many rescued from a life of sexual slavery.
"The number of girls has definitely increased, and the age of the girls has definitely decreased," Matei elaborates.
Poverty Drives Trafficking
Romania is the second poorest country in the EU, a reason why it's fertile ground for traffickers. Cristian Duta, a Romanian police official familiar with Finland, says he believes Finland will soon face a flood of trafficking victims.
“Finland treats its immigrants well. This will lead to more people trying to enter your country, especially from poorer states.”
Human trafficking is a far more lucrative business than the drug trade. Romania's EU membership has eased the movement of criminals. The country is now working to join the visa-free Schengen area, which is expected to swing the door wide open for trafficking rings.