Anti-trafficking organizations unite to condemn Ukraine invasion and traffickers’ attempts to target fleeing victims

Leading non-profit groups in the fight against human trafficking say that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is feeding instability and dramatically raising the risk of human trafficking in the region

More than 70 of the world’s leading anti-trafficking organizations have come together to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact it is having on the risk of human trafficking in the region.

They have signed an open letter that reads in part: “As long as the military invasion of Ukraine continues, the vulnerability of displaced people in the country to human trafficking will increase due to deteriorating rule of law and impunity; further forced displacement; humanitarian need and socio-economic stress and social fragmentation. Human trafficking will also escalate in the countries to where people from Ukraine are fleeing. There have also been deeply concerning reports of attempts to traffic women and girls fleeing Ukraine in neighboring countries, including Poland and Romania.”

Signatories include the leaders of major anti-trafficking groups like Hope for Justice, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), Shared Hope, The Freedom Fund, and ECPAT USA, and many others from across the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.

The signatories call for the Russian authorities to withdraw their troops immediately from Ukraine, and they call for investigations into potential war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights violations associated with human trafficking (by either party). They call on the countries that are welcoming refugees to ensure they implement effective prevention measures against human trafficking. They list measures including training for frontline agencies; safe and legal routes for those who are fleeing; measures to more easily enable potential victims to be identified; trauma-informed and holistic care to be made available for survivors of trafficking; and steps taken to ensure perpetrator accountability. With these countries already doing so much to assist refugees, the signatories ask the wider international community to shoulder some of the financial burden of these vital measures.

The letter-writers say: “Human trafficking and conflict feed each other. By promising stability, security and employment, traffickers often appear to offer a greater prospect of hope for individuals who might have left everything behind.”

A study by U.N. agency the International Labour Organization estimated that human trafficking generates at least $150bn in illicit profits every year for organized criminals, which further fuels global instability and insecurity.

Read the full letter from the anti-trafficking community condemning the invasion of Ukraine (PDF, 1mb)

Signatories:

1. 1. Tim Nelson, CEO, Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance
   2. Nick Grono, CEO, The Freedom Fund
   3. Red Godfrey-Sagoo, CEO, Sophie Hayes Foundation
   4. Joy M Gillespie, CEO, Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS)
   5. Linda Smith, Founder and President, Shared Hope International
   6. Andrew Wallis, CEO and Founder, Unseen
   7. Dawn Hawkins, CEO, National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
   8. Christian Guy, CEO, Justice and Care
   9. Helen Sworn, Executive Director and Founder, Chab Dai
   10. Deb Sigmund, Founder, Innocents at Risk
   11. Elizabeth Fisher Good, Founder & CEO, The Foundation United
   12. Leanne Rhodes, Executive Director, European Freedom Network
   13. Harriett Baldwin MP, Chair, British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
   14. Karen Bradley MP, UK Former Minister for Modern Slavery and Organised Crime
   15. Patricia Durr, CEO, ECPAT UK
   16. Ann-Kristin Vervik, Generalsekretær/Executive Director,  ECPAT Norway
   17. Lori L Cohen, CEO, ECPAT USA
   18. Richard Beard, CEO, Jericho Foundation
   19. Mick Clarke, CEO, The Passage
   20. Kim Westfall, Founder, Uncaged
   21. David Gadd, Professor of Criminology
   22. Bronagh Andrew, Operations Manager, The TARA Service
   23. Kirsty Thomson, Managing Director, JustRight Scotland
   24. Martin Hancock, CEO, BCHA
   25. Emily Chalke, Co Director, Ella’s House
   26. Lara Bundock, CEO and Founder, Snowdrop Project
   27. Kush Chottera, CEO, Europia
   28. Fred Sherling, General Manager, Fair Play Bygg Rogland Norway
   29. Yvonne Hall, Founder and Co-Chief Executive, Palm Cove Society
   30. Ragnhild Lindahl Torstensen, CEO, Lightup Norway
   31. Victoria Marks, Director and Solicitor, Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit
   32. Liz Griffith, Head of Policy and Research, Migration Justice Project at Law Centre Northern Ireland Law Centre
   33. Jon Lord, CEO, Bolton at Home
   34. Dr Carole Murphy, Director, Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse
   35. Dr Ruth Van Dyke, Acting Director, Training Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse
   36. Rev Ian Howarth (Adavu Chair) and Liisa Wiseman (Adavu Project Manager) Adavu Project
   37. Leanne Rhodes, CEO and Founder, Abolishion
   38. Erhard Hermansen, General Secretary, Christian Council of Norway
   39. Rita Gava, Director, Kalayaan
   40. Karen Anstiss, Service Manager, Caritas Bakhita House
   41. Wanjiku Ngotho-Mbugua, Acting Chief Executive, Bawso
   42. Ed Newton, CEO, City Hearts
   43. Gayle Bunting, Director, Invisible Traffick
   44. Amber Cagney, Development Manager, West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network
   45. Ross Hendry, CEO, Christian Care Research and Education (CARE)
   46. Matthew Evans, Director, The AIRE Centre
   47. Jillian McBride, Children’s Policy Officer, Scottish Refugee Council
   48. Moya Woolven, CEO, Basis Yorkshire
   49. Modupe Debbie Ariyo OBE, CEO, AFRUCA
   50. Ashleigh Chapman, President, AFRJ (Alliance for Freedom, Restoration and Justice)
   51. Rushan Abbas, Executive Director, Campaign for Uyghurs
   52. Coreen Lategan, Executive Director, Kainos e.V. Germany
   53. Bettina Kneisler, First Chairperson, Projekt Schattentöchter e.V.
   54. Rachel Witkin, Head of Counter-Trafficking and Publications, Helen Bamber Foundation
   55. Anja Slabbekoorn, President, Spring2Freedom
   56. Andrew Hoskins, Vice President of International Programs, The Exodus Road
   57. Courtney Skiera-Vaughn, Director of International Programs, Free The Girls
   58. Jerry Gowen, CXO, Operation Underground Railroad
   59. Korrin Moon, Co-Founder, Lantern Rescue
   60. Alison Ussery, Director, Haven of Light CIC
   61. Jacqueline Joudo Larsen, Deputy Director; and Grace Forrest, Founding Director, Walk Free
   62. Vidar Sagmyr, Project Leader, Byggebransjens uropatrulje
   63. Tom Stancliffe, Co-Founder, TRIBE Freedom Foundation
   64. Caroline Downey, Executive Director, Women Working Worldwide
   65. Anne Basham, Chair, Taskforce on Human Trafficking for the Parliamentary Intelligence Security Forum
   66. Jeremy Vallerand, CEO & President, Rescue:Freedom International
   67. Sneh Aurora, London Director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)
   68. Lucy Brill, Director, Homeworkers Worldwide
   69. Christi Wigle, CEO and Co-Founder, United Against Slavery
   70. Adam Whittington, CEO and Founder, Project Rescue Children
   71. Shannon von Scheele, Executive Director, Netzwerk gegen Menschenhandel

See our Resources and Links relevant to the Ukraine crisis and preventing human trafficking of vulnerable people: hopeforjustice.org/resources-and-statistics/resources-ukraine-crisis/