UN warns of ‘real danger’ of trafficking in Ukrainian women and children fleeing war
The United Nations warns of the “real danger” of human trafficking currently suffered by thousands of Ukrainian women and orphaned children who are fleeing the Russian invasion and who are “the main objective” of the mafias. “There are criminal gangs that have exploited Ukrainians in the past and it is very likely that they will be activated and exploited again now,” warns Ilias Chatzis, head of the fight against human trafficking at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Drugs. Crime (ONUDD), in an interview granted to Efe in Vienna.
Trafficking consists of recruiting people to exploit them for sexual purposes, forced labor or to force them to practice begging, among other crimes. For Chatzis this danger is especially worrying in the orphaned children of Ukraine, who in his opinion are “the main target of traffickers”. “Ukraine has a very large orphan population, so there is great concern about the well-being of these minors,” stresses the Greek UN expert.
According to the United Nations, a third of the victims identified in trafficking cases are usually minors, “a huge number” that shows their vulnerability in a conflict situation, such as the current war in Ukraine. The UNODC estimates that “thousands of children travel without the company of their parents or guardians”, which also places them at “a higher risk of trafficking and other abuses”, says Chatzis. “The risk for minors is not so much the crossing of borders itself, because the European Union and other countries [vecinos de Ucrania], like Moldova, have adapted their policies to the needs of the moment. The problem is what happens after, ”she warns.
According to Chatzis, international trafficking mafias need time “to recruit people, force them into prostitution or any other form of exploitation”, so the problem will start to get worse in the coming weeks and months. (Efe)
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