Polish authorities have arrested a man on suspicion of sexually assaulting a refugee aged 19 years old at a camp. He lured her into the tent with promises of shelter, after she fled war-torn Ukraine.
A Polish police station in Wroclaw detained a suspect aged 49 on rape charges. He allegedly attacked a Ukrainian refugee, 19, whom he lured to his home with promises of assistance over the Internet.
According to authorities, the suspect could be sentenced to up 12 years imprisonment for the alleged ‘brutal offense’.
According to police, ‘He offered his support via the internet in order to meet the girl’.
“She fled war-torn Ukraine and did not know Polish. A man promised to shelter and assist her, which she trusted. This was all deceitful manipulating.
The concern is growing about protecting the most vulnerable refugees against being trafficked or exploited by other means.
Official figures show that close to 1.596 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland (1.592 million), since the outbreak of war.
Since the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2.5 million people including over a million children have fled Ukraine.
Before authorities intervened, another man was heard offering to work for a girl of 16 years in a Polish refugee camp.
A Polish police station detained a suspect aged 49 on rape charges. He allegedly attacked a Ukrainian refugee, 19, who he lured to his home with promises of assistance over the Internet. Pictured: People fleeing Ukraine in a temporary camp at Przemysl. Poland.
Another case of a refugee camp at the border with Poland in Medyka raised suspicions after a man offered help to only women and children.
He changed his story after being questioned by the police
Millions of people are fleeing Ukraine, almost exclusively women and children. It’s the most severe humanitarian crisis Europe has seen since World War II.
Joung-ah GhediniWilliams (UNHCR’s global communications head), stated that all refugees are children and women. He has also visited the borders of Romania, Poland, and Moldova.
“You should be worried about possible risks of trafficking, but also sexual exploitation, abuse and exploitation. Traffickers are familiar with these types of situations. She said that traffickers are looking to profit from these situations.
Private citizens, as well as volunteers, have offered assistance to war-ravaged people in Europe and the borders nations of Poland, Hungary and Moldova.
In a social media post in Ukrainian and Russian, police in Berlin advised children and women against overnight stay offers and encouraged them to immediately report any suspicious activity.
Tamara Barnett is the director of operations for the Human Trafficking Foundation. This U.K.-based charity grew from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Human Trafficking. She said such rapid mass displacement could lead to a “recipe for disaster.”
According to her, she explained that when you suddenly have an enormous group of very vulnerable people in need of money or assistance instantly, it is called a “suddenly” situation.
It’s a breeding ground to exploitative situations, and sexual exploitation.
‘When I saw all the volunteers offering their houses for free, that raised my concern.
People fleeing Russian invasion of Ukraine, rest at a temporary accommodation centre, in Korczowa, Poland, The suspect could face up to 12 years in prison for the ‘brutal crime,’ authorities said. He met the girl through an online portal and offered his assistance. The man promised shelter and assistance, which she trusted. All of this was deceitful manipulation.
According to The Associated Press, security officials from Poland and Romania told The Associated Press that they were looking for ‘criminal elements.’
Officials in Siret (România) have reported that some Romanian men offered women free rides.
Traficking people is a serious violation of human rights. It can include a variety of exploitative roles.
It can range from sexual exploitation such as prostitution to forced labor to domestic slavery and organ removal to criminality. Traffickers often use coercion or abuse of power to inflict it.
The Migration Data portal notes that humanitarian crises, such as ones that are linked to conflicts, ‘can exacerbate existing trafficking trends and create new ones’. It also points out that traffickers profit from the inability of families to protect their children.
According to the European Commission’s executive arm, the 2020 Human Trafficking Report estimates that there is a global annual profit of 29.4billion euros (or 32 billion) from this crime.
The report states that the main form of human traficking is sexual exploitation. It also says that almost three quarters (75%) of victims are women, and nearly every fourth victim is a child.
Madalina Mcan, ProTECT’s committee director, stated that there are already worrying signs. Some refugees have been offered refuge in exchange for babysitting and cleaning services.
“Trafickers will try to cross the Ukrainian border and take Ukraine’s victims.
She stated that women and children are particularly vulnerable, and that they do not have any connections, such as family, friends or other support networks. Furthermore, continued conflict could lead to more people becoming vulnerable at the border.
Dayrina Kneziva, 25, arrived in Zahony from Kyiv along with her childhood friend.
Kneziva explained that they fled a war zone without having time to assess other dangers.
Kneziva hopes to reach Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava together with her friend. You don’t pay attention to other things when you are in a rush.
Large numbers of refugees from the borders want to go to Europe to see their friends and family. Many are dependent on other people to get them there.
According to Cristina Minculescu, Next Steps Romania’s psychologist, who offers support for victims of trafficking, “the people leaving Ukraine are experiencing emotional stress, trauma and fear,”
“It is not only human trafficking. There are risks of abduction and rape, their vulnerability being exploited to different degrees.”
Following a five-day journey by car from Chernihiv to the destroyed historical city of Chernihiv in bombed Chernihiv the 44-year old Iryna Pypenko was stopped at the Siret border. She hid from the cold inside a tent she had built with her children.
According to her, a Berlin friend who was looking for housing for her warned her about possible heinous offers.
“She said that there were many very dangerous propositions,” Pypypenko told her husband, who remained in Ukraine with his parents.
“She said to me, “I must only communicate with officials and accept only what they tell me.”
Refugees fleeing Russian invasion of Ukraine receive food assistance from volunteers at Przemysl (Poland) temporary camp. In a social media post in Russian and Ukrainian, police in Berlin advised children and women against overnight stay offers and asked them to contact the authorities if they are suspicious.
Ionut Epureanu was the Suceava county’s chief police officer.
He stated that he was trying to control every vehicle from the region. Although a hundred people are transporting goods, it is enough for one to fail. either tragedy or good intentions.
Vlad Gheorghe (a Romanian Member of the European Parliament) launched the Facebook group United for Ukraine. It has over 250,000 members. The group pools resources to assist refugees including housing. He says that he works closely with authorities in order to stop any abuses.
He stated that ‘No offer to volunteer or stay is unchecked. We check all offers.
“We call back, ask some questions and then we do a little check to make sure that any request for assistance is received.
Seven former French Foreign Legion members are providing security for refugees at the Medyka border in Poland. They are also on the alert for potential traffickers.
One of the ex-legionnaires said that three men tried to transport a group of women in a van. Though I can’t be certain they tried to recruit them to sex trafficking they did start talking with us, and they left right away.
He said, “We want to get children and women safe.” The risk of being in danger is extremely high due to the sheer number of people involved.
Pypypenko was still at her Siret border camp, and she said she had received help from people – although she wasn’t sure if she could trust them.
She said that people just entered and told her they could take them to France for no cost. “Today, we’re here for 3 hours. We had at least two to three such propositions. This is a very sad situation.