In an interview with the Polish newspaper OKOPress, Baranowska emphasises the threat of exploitation and human trafficking of Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
Dr Grażyna Baranowska, MSC Fellow and a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Fundamental Rights, gave an expert opinion on missing migrants and human trafficking in the current Ukrainian refugee crisis to the Polish newspaper OKOPress.
Dr Baranowska explained that as the number of Ukrainian refugees in Poland is increasing, so is the threat of exploitation and human trafficking. She reiterated that thousands of refugee children went missing post-2015 in Europe. The majority of them did not disappear right after crossing into EU countries, but months later, many of them from official facilities. Their fate is not known, they might have run away or might have been trafficked.
With regard to the current situation of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, she added that the current approach - which is to host the majority of them in private homes - also bears certain risks. The idea is very noble, but refugees could be hosted by people who have ulterior motives. To prevent abuse, exploitation and human trafficking, homes where refugees are hosted should be verified and registered. While this is a simple procedure, at the moment it seems to be beyond the Polish government’s capacity.
Read the full interview, published on 15.3.2022 here (in Polish):
Uchodźczynie z Ukrainy zagrożone handlem ludźmi. "Zacznijmy się wreszcie tym zajmować" (oko.press)
Photo: © European Union, 2022 on flickr