After fleeing the conflicts in their home country, many Ukrainian refugees who came to France became “easy prey” for prostitution gangs. The situation worries humanitarian organizations that assist women when they arrive in the country.
The scene took place in early March, when the first person displaced from the war in Ukraine began to land in France. In front of the reception center recently opened by the France Terre d’Asile (French Country of Asylum, translation) association in the north of Paris, a man aroused distrust of the women waiting in line. Two Ukrainians warned volunteers that “a foreigner” had suggested they “work” for him.
“She was harassing the women next in line. We’ve been under strong police surveillance ever since,” says Delphine Rouilleault, the association’s executive director. Some refugees, like many others who volunteered to help newcomers, have also witnessed participating in a “unsettling” first night at the home of a man who had offered shelter.
The risks are greatest for women, who together with children make up 90% of Ukrainian refugees. European police, Europol, warned in late March that they are the target of ill-wishers accompanying this migration and “will attract criminal networks specializing in human trafficking, as well as opportunistic aggressors who voluntarily present themselves”.
“Blue Eyed Blonde”
Secretary Elisabeth Moiron-Braud said the risks for refugees were highest at first borders such as Poland and Romania, but the threats remained until they reached France, where “no cases of trafficking have been proven” so far. – general of Miprof, the inter-ministerial mission to combat human trafficking.
“On the other hand, there are suspicions and warnings from social workers who are the target of complaints and we are taking action,” he says. “These are risks we are aware of because we have already experienced the 2015 migration crisis, where we observed a large influx of Nigerian minors targeted by prostitution gangs,” he says. “Ukrainian women are ‘easy prey’, especially since Eastern European trafficking networks are already active.”
But what particularly worries French authorities is “the risks of trafficking in people who take them and take advantage of women’s vulnerability,” according to Elisabeth Moiron-Braud. “This is the greatest danger of this crisis,” she concludes.
Some hosting offers are questionable. “They say they just want a young Ukrainian girl, no children. Others openly state that they want a blonde with blue eyes,” says an official of an organization that accepts refugees and is tasked with selecting volunteers, angrily on condition of anonymity.
“housework”
To combat abuses, the France Terre d’Asile association began a “control study” of accommodation offers. Measures include criminal record checks and home visits for those who offer to accept refugees. Delphine Rouilleault underlines that “We told you that there is no barter for service. Human trafficking is not just about sex. Women can also be forced to do housework”.
Céline Schmitt, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in France, emphasizes that refugees should “never give out their identity documents” and “avoid offers that are too good to be true”. He called for strengthening control mechanisms to “examine” all good intentions.
To support these often tired women, Ukrainians who are already in France are also organizing. “We try to limit the risks by accompanying them to see the flat, talking to the hosts,” says Nadia Myhal, president of the Association of Ukrainian Women in France. “We prefer families or women. If it’s just a man, we decline the offer,” she says. Delphine Rouilleault acknowledges that despite the efforts, the risks remain. According to her, it is more difficult to identify problematic situations when women already stay.
(with information from AFP)
source: Noticias
