The EU Commissioner for Migration has warned that Ukrainian children fleeing the Russian invasion risk being trafficked. This was reported by Reuters.
Ylva Johansson told a press conference in Estonia that about half of the 3.3 million Ukrainians who fled to EU countries since the start of the war were children, and another “million” is expected to arrive.
In Ukraine, there are a large number of orphans and children born by surrogate mothers who were not taken in by their parents. According to her, this increases the risk of their kidnapping or forced adoption.
“There is a huge risk that vulnerable children will become victims of human trafficking,” she said.
She noted that so far there have been very few reports of unaccompanied children at EU borders and few signs of human trafficking.
However, police, activists and Ukrainian women’s organizations reported some “disturbing” cases, she said, noting that in past situations of mass migration, these abuses were common.
“We should not wait until we have evidence of high traffic, because then it may be too late,” Johansson said, adding that a large-scale campaign to raise awareness of this risk needs to be launched immediately.
She said risks could arise at borders, where criminals disguised as helpers could take advantage of vulnerable people offering shelter to incoming migrants.