EXPLAINER: Why Human Trafficking Follows The War

As the war in Ukraine continues, women and children are fleeing for safety, but that road to safety is likely lined with human traffickers.

While many Ukrainian men stay behind to defend their country, women and children remain the most vulnerable to trafficking as they venture across neighboring borders. UNHCR reports at least 90 percent of those fleeing are women and children.

Ukraine has remained one of the most targeted European countries by traffickers since becoming a separate nation in 1991 with over 300,000 victims, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A majority of victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation into Russia, as well as Poland, Germany, and other regions including the Middle East, according to the US State Department.

Since February 24, more than 4.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine for neighboring countries, according to the UNHCR. The large influx of refugees leaving the country creates easy targets for traffickers.

Who are the victims?

Women and children—and in many cases, children alone—are crossing Ukraine to neighboring countries, but not all volunteers at the border are there to help.

The risk of human trafficking increases in any conflict, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Traffickers, especially those targeting victims for sexual exploitation, see war as an opportunity to single out those in need of assistance, transportation and a new life—and Ukraine is no exception.

Children, ethnic minorities, refugees and LGBTQ+ individuals are most at risk. The Guardian reports the most vulnerable right now are children, as many are traveling alone to escape the conflict. The sheer number of people leaving Ukraine has made it difficult for refugee and government organizations to track all border crossings, putting children at greater risk.

Who are the traffickers?

As reported by The Guardian, there is no one type of trafficker—but for Ukrainians, many are men from neighboring countries working alone or as part of organized rings.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, sex trafficking increased drastically as many in the region fell into poverty, combined with increases in alcoholism and unemployment. Ethnic minorities, such as those from the Roma community in Ukraine—an Indo-Aryan group of people—became easy targets for traffickers, according to The Borgen Project.

Before the current conflict in Ukraine, 70 percent of trafficking victims in the country had been targeted through promises of job opportunities such as modeling and beauty contests, marriage arrangements, and vacation and study abroad programs, according to UNODC.

Women trafficking women is also not uncommon. According to the UNODC, women make up the majority of traffickers in about 30 percent of countries worldwide that have provided data on the gender of traffickers.

Now the war in Ukraine presents new opportunities for these traffickers.

What about the trafficking?

For Ukrainians, it is suspected most victims, especially women, will enter into forced prostitution or sexual exploitation, which makes up 79 percent of human trafficking worldwide, according to the UNODC. Organ trafficking and forced labor are the next biggest concerns. Trafficking for any purpose is still a form of modern-day slavery.

Children separated from their families are especially vulnerable to traffickers. Between February 24 and March 17, more than 500 children crossed the border from Ukraine into Romania while unaccompanied. According to UNICEF, the true number of separated children may be much higher.

“The war in Ukraine is leading to massive displacement and refugee flows—conditions that could lead to a significant spike in human trafficking and an acute child protection crisis,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. “Displaced children are extremely vulnerable to being separated from their families, exploited and trafficked. They need governments in the region to step up and put measures in place to keep them safe.”

The IOM is working with government partners and agencies to set up anti-trafficking measures and spread awareness of the risks to look for along Ukrainian borders, including hotlines for those in trouble.

Even individual volunteers are helping. Some women who have fled to safety in neighboring countries, such as Poland, are providing car transportation to women and children they see traveling alone—ensuring they stay protected, as reported by the BBC.