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Moldova is Europe's poorest country. Almost one-fifth of its 4.3 million people are believed to have gone abroad, in search of work and a better life.In the east, the sliver of land along the Dniester river, known as Transdniestria, populated mainly by Russians and Ukrainians, has declared de facto independence.
The country is the source of much of Europe's human trafficking. Billboards in the streets of the capital, Chisinau, depict a girl gripped in a huge clenched fist, being exchanged for dollars.
The caption reads: "You are not for sale". There are few countries in the world where people have to be reminded of that by public advertisements.
Tens of thousands of Moldovan women have been sold into prostitution in more affluent countries. And the trade in human organs, particularly kidneys, is a growing and frightening problem.