Irregular Migration, Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking
Scenario
Human trafficking prevention campaign
Overview: According to IOM’s estimates from 2022, more than 32 million people, or 85% of the entire population of Ukraine, have been affected by the full-scale war. “Faced with the direct or indirect impact of hostilities, displacement and a weakened economy, the population in Ukraine has become more prone to trafficking and more vulnerable to other forms of exploitation,” said IOM Ukraine’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Marco Chimenton. “Every second Ukrainian is ready to accept at least one risky offer that could lead to human trafficking or exploitation.”
The ”LOOK AGAIN\” campaign goes beyond making people aware of the issue of human trafficking; it urges people in Ukraine to be careful when they encounter attractive job or housing offers that could lead to exploitation and provides examples of commonly used schemes used by recruiters to lure people into different types of exploitation. The campaign has strong support from its partners, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, and the Ministry of Justice of Sweden. It was launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Coalition of NGOs to Combat Human Trafficking, playing a significant role.
“Modern-day slavery still exists and brings huge profits to the exploiters,” said Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Iryna Postolovska. She called on Ukrainians to be cautious when considering jobs or assistance offers: “Check as much information as you can, do not give your ID documents to anyone, let your relatives and friends know where you are, think of a code word that would allow you to inform them that you are in danger, and study the language of the country you are staying in.”
The campaign warns about the most common red flags such as:
- Feeling rushed and pressured to make quick decisions
- Demands for upfront payment for intermediary services
- Requests to hand over passport, phone, and other personal items
- Refusal to provide documents confirming the person or organization’s identity
- Psychological pressure and manipulation
- Being asked to transfer packages with undisclosed contents
- Lack of details about the place of stay
- Unrealistically high salary
- Informal employment
A total of 296 survivors of human trafficking have been supported by IOM Ukraine so far this year, with nearly 20,000 survivors supported since the year 2000, while more than 76,000 Ukrainians have been survivors of human trafficking since 1991. 27% of human trafficking cases in 2023 were related to labour exploitation, 15% of human trafficking survivors possess higher or technical education. 2 is the age of the youngest survivor, while 27 is the age of the oldest survivor.
