For traffickers, war isn’t a tragedy.
For traffickers, war isn’t a tragedy, it’s an opportunity. As refugees make the brave journey across the Ukrainian border, the danger of exploitation is a real. International Justice Mission’s (IJM) Hannah Elliott explains what we can do to support those in danger. IJM is one of the Methodist Church in Ireland’s World Development partners.
Heart-breaking images of Ukrainian families have dominated our screens recently. Fathers have been separated from children, as mothers move families away, joining long lines at borders; pregnant women in Mariupol have been bombed in maternity hospitals with devastating consequences; whole neighbourhoods have been flattened leaving residents with no option but to flee to find resources and safety elsewhere. War is brutal and messy, and leaves families desperate and vulnerable, especially women and children fleeing the conflict - and the past few weeks have been a stark reminder of this reality.
But what about the hidden risks - the ones you may not have heard about? For women and children fleeing conflict, one risk is falling prey to traffickers who are willing to exploit vulnerabilities for their own profit.
Imagine you have fled your home, leaving behind friends, family, possessions and work. You walk miles in rain and snow to arrive in a new country, where you don’t speak the language or have any connections. You may not even have any cash in the local currency. In these incredibly challenging circumstances, might you consider accepting an offer of transport, shelter, work or money from a stranger?
While most people are generously offering genuine help, there is also a risk that a stranger offering help could be a trafficker.
In fact, the UN Secretary-General has warned that: “For predators and human traffickers, war is not a tragedy, it is an opportunity - and women and children are the targets.”
International Justice Mission is an organisation of Christian lawyers, social workers and other professionals who work together with partners around the world to stop slavery and violence. One area of our work is tackling cross-border trafficking in Europe. Our teams working on the Ukraine border have warned that the situations faced by refugees fleeing Ukraine are the kind of circumstances which traffickers could exploit - particularly as the weeks and months draw on, and refugees run even lower on resources.
We know from previous experience that women recruited in Eastern Europe - where our programme is based - are frequently trafficked into other countries, including the UK. They endure brutal abuse while being exploited sexually or for their labour, forced to stay by violence, threats and coercion. The huge numbers of vulnerable refugees moving through Eastern Europe is only likely to exacerbate this problem.
But there is hope. Through partnering with local agencies, IJM is helping to protect refugees crossing the border into Romania. In partnership with ANTIP (the Romanian government anti-trafficking agency), we’ve handed out flyers in Ukrainian and Romanian to help people understand the risks and how to get help if they need it. We’re training shelters, churches and charities in spotting the signs of trafficking as well as how to provide trauma informed care, and we’re making sure refugees have SIM cards to call helplines. We’ve also partnered with churches and shelters to help women and children find safe spaces to stay, and connected them with transport to get them there.
“One real light in the darkness is how willing people are to show kindness,” commented one of our team. “Churches are opening their doors, and people in Romania are working so hard to meet the needs of refugees by bringing food, toys and other supplies to shelters.”
The scale of this crisis is vast, but there are ways we can help. We are so thankful for the Methodist Church in Ireland’s generous gift of £15,000, through World Development & Relief, in support of IJM’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal. This partnership will allow IJM’s team in Romania to continue to respond to the huge numbers of vulnerable refugees arriving on their doorstep.
If you would like to do more to help, we would love you to join us in prayer, that God would protect refugees.
Or, for those in the UK, you could write to your MP about what the UK Government can do to help. You can find our template at IJMUK.org/MPletter.
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I’m Mariya* and I’m an IJM social worker who’s been working on the Ukraine-Romania border to help stop trafficking of refugees, mostly women and children. I wanted to update you on what’s happening on the ground and how IJM is helping right now.
The stories of people I’ve met have broken my heart. It’s unimaginable what is happening here, and our team, local NGOs, churches and communities are still working tirelessly to help women and children who have lost everything.
IJM and partners are helping to protect refugees like Larysa*. She was at risk of exploitation but thankfully, people at a shelter trained by IJM identified signs of trafficking and were able to keep her safe.
IJM and partners have already provided vital support and advice, both in person and through flyers, to thousands of refugees – including enabling safe transport, identifying vulnerabilities, supplying SIM cards and training agencies to spot signs of trafficking.
In addition, we've now started working with partners to send information directly into Ukraine about how to stay safe when crossing the border – including through Ukrainian speaking helplines – preventing potential exploitation. We're supporting shelters in new areas to provide trauma-informed care and to prevent trafficking, including at the Romania-Moldova border and in Bucharest. We’ve also hired new Ukrainian speaking protection officers who are working with Romanian authorities and NGOs to address potential trafficking cases.
The situation is evolving fast, so we’re adapting to changing needs. Sadly, we know that other trafficking risks are likely to emerge as the resources of families fleeing Ukraine start to run out – so we’re increasing our anti-trafficking work in Eastern Europe to help protect refugees over the coming weeks and months.
It’s hard to describe to you the traumatic reality of what people fleeing this war have experienced, but my team and I are determined that people who have already been through so much are not exploited by traffickers.
Thank you for your support at this time. Together, we will keep more people safe.
With thanks and deep appreciation,
Mariya
IJM Social Worker, European Anti-Trafficking Programme
* Pseudonyms used to protect identity.