Former Secretary of State appointed as new Romanian Country Head

Former Government Secretary of State and Prime Minister State Counsellor Madalina Turza has been appointed by Justice and Care as its new Romanian Country Head.

For the last four years, Madalina has worked at the highest levels of the Romanian Government and has led the country’s response to the issue of human trafficking. 

She will use her experience and passion to help lead and grow the team at Justice and Care – which began work in Romania four years ago. We work with police, prosecutors and organisations across the country helping to provide support to survivors of modern slavery, ensuring those responsible are brought to justice and creating change at scale. 

At the heart of our work in Romania is the Victim Navigator programme, which sees specialist workers providing support to survivors – helping them to access the services they need and to engage with investigators. We have also been at the forefront of developing a coalition of human trafficking NGOs called the Protect Platform, which has worked with the Government to bring systemic change including the introduction of a minimum age of consent. 

Funders of the charity’s work in Romania include the British Government, KBF Canada Foundation and UBS Optimus. 

In addition to work in Romania, Justice and Care works widely in the UK and Bangladesh and partners with around 150 organisations worldwide in the fight against modern slavery.

The charity’s global CEO, James Clarry, says he is delighted to welcome Madalina to the team: ‘All the numbers tell us that human trafficking is a growing global issue – impacting around 50 million people.

‘We need first-class leadership to help fight this crime and Madalina offers us that. She has demonstrated her passion for the issue, understands the need for Government action and has shown how change is possible.

‘We are looking forward to her joining us at the end of January to help grow Justice and Care in Romania, and to contribute to our global leadership team.’ 

Madalina Turza says she is excited to lead the work in Romania: ‘Human trafficking is an abhorrent crime and one I am committed to using my knowledge and expertise to combat. While leading the anti-trafficking work in Romania, I saw Justice and Care in action and was so impressed with their level of commitment.

‘To be able to lead the work in Romania is an amazing opportunity to build the national team and work with those across Government, police and the wider sector to bring about change.’