Social Europe

  • EU Forward Project
  • YouTube
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Newsletter
  • Membership

Ukraine re-emphasises need to combat human trafficking

Frances Fitzgerald 7th June 2022

Trafficking linked to the Ukraine exodus underscores the need to tackle this scourge—and for a unified EU response.

trafficking,Ukraine,women,sexual
Most adult Ukrainian refugees have been women—their vulnerability rendering them prey for traffickers (Gabriel Preda RO / shutterstock.com)

Human trafficking remains a scourge on our societies. Across Europe and the world, people are trafficked every day, mostly for sexual and labour exploitation. It is modern-day slavery and we must do our utmost to end this horrific phenomenon. In my work in the European Parliament, tackling and combatting trafficking is at the very top of my agenda.

As such, I recently travelled to The Hague in the Netherlands, as part of a mission with the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality to discuss how to combat human trafficking, and how to protect its victims.

Most vulnerable

My colleagues and I spoke with several Dutch national representatives tackling sexual exploitation, sexual violence and human trafficking, including about the policies they have in place. The war in Ukraine has crystallised this issue, with traffickers seeking to gain by trading in the most vulnerable as they flee their homes.

The reports of trafficking taking place at the Ukraine border are incredibly concerning and action must be taken to protect those affected. Police forces all across Europe must receive the appropriate training to be prepared when faced with situations where trafficking tends to occur, whether that be at border crossings or even in car parks and petrol-station forecourts. We must try our best to prevent this, rather than cure it after the fact, and put in place concrete frameworks to stop this crisis from proliferating.

Given the continuing flow of refugees, arriving in European Union member states often with few or no possessions while fleeing conflict in their home country, it is the EU’s duty to step up in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. The only way this can happen efficiently is through an EU-wide anti-trafficking plan.

Raising awareness

This is what I asked of the European commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, in a joint letter with other MEPs: we must raise awareness about human trafficking among member states through collaboration with law enforcement and civil society. Moreover, we must take care of the most vulnerable and ensure that nobody coming to the EU from Ukraine can fall into the hands of traffickers.

Following calls for wider European co-operation, the commissioner published in late March a ten-point plan, with programmes to unify our efforts for welcoming Ukrainian refugees. Most importantly, this plan will ensure that arrivals in the EU will be overseen properly, to prevent situations of trafficking from slipping through the net.

While in the Netherlands, we also met members of civil-society organisations who seek to protect women fleeing from trafficking, as well as visiting a shelter which supports victims of trafficking. While gaining a useful insight into the work that these organisations do in protecting and empowering women, I learned much about how to support women not only to escape from those who have trafficked them but also to begin a new life afterwards—including by providing social supports such as housing, education and employment opportunities.

Prosecuting war crimes

The last stop on our mission was the International Criminal Court, where we learned about how evidence on sexual violence, rape and trafficking as war crimes is being collected, and how those crimes are being prosecuted. A priority of mine, and of EU member states, is to ensure Russia is held accountable for any war crimes committed by it or its soldiers. It would be utterly intolerable for Russian forces to be given any kind of immunity on this matter.

The Ukrainian people deserve justice. We must ensure that prosecutions for such horrendous crimes can be secured and withstand challenge. Drastic times call for drastic measures and we must do all in our power to fight this injustice.

When it comes to supporting someone who was raped or subject to sexual violence in a war zone, we need though look no further than our excellent non-governmental organisations. In the 1990s, I saw their effectiveness first-hand with the remarkable work of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre in the Bosnian war. The broad experience NGOs have in this area means they are uniquely equipped to support and assist victims of sexual violence, and we as policy-makers must support them in doing that important work.

The EU already supports NGOs in this regard, most notably through the Daphne programme, which seeks to tackle violence against women. This is a crucial programme and is part of a larger support to NGOs. As we witness continued violence and trafficking, in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the pandemic, such funding is vital.

Sharing success

At EU level, we are doing our utmost to tackle trafficking and violence against women and our mission to The Hague has cemented my view that member states have much to learn from each other in this fight. Many of the policies and initiatives presented by the Dutch minister for migration, Eric Van Der Burg, were worthy of note and Ireland among others can learn from them. I am sure other member states have similar policy success stories to share too.

When it comes to human trafficking, we must all work together to combat it—this is one of Europe’s strengths. For example, when we seek the prosecution of Russian soldiers, member states must work together to support the collection of evidence of war crimes by the Ukrainian authorities, to ensure robust convictions.

The Dutch example shows us that combating trafficking, for all victims from across the world, is possible—and that EU mechanisms are a crucial element in achieving this goal.

Frances Fitzgerald
Frances Fitzgerald

Frances Fitzgerald is a member of the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee in the European Parliament and vice-chair of the European People’s Party group. She has held various ministerial positions in Ireland, including as tánaiste (deputy premier), having been chair of the National Women’s Council and vice-president of the European Women’s Lobby.

Harvard University Press Advertisement

Social Europe Ad - Promoting European social policies

We need your help.

Support Social Europe for less than €5 per month and help keep our content freely accessible to everyone. Your support empowers independent publishing and drives the conversations that matter. Thank you very much!

Social Europe Membership

Click here to become a member

Most Recent Articles

u4219834676d582029 038f 486a 8c2b fe32db91c9b0 2 Trump Can’t Kill the Boom: Why the US Economy Will Roar Despite HimNouriel Roubini
u42198346fb0de2b847 0 How the Billionaire Boom Is Fueling Inequality—and Threatening DemocracyFernanda Balata and Sebastian Mang
u421983441e313714135 0 Why Europe Needs Its Own AI InfrastructureDiane Coyle
u42198346ecb10de1ac 2 Europe Day with New DimensionsLászló Andor and Udo Bullmann
u421983467a362 1feb7ac124db 2 How Europe’s Political Parties Abandoned Openness—and Left Populism to Fill the VoidColin Crouch

Most Popular Articles

startupsgovernment e1744799195663 Governments Are Not StartupsMariana Mazzucato
u421986cbef 2549 4e0c b6c4 b5bb01362b52 0 American SuicideJoschka Fischer
u42198346769d6584 1580 41fe 8c7d 3b9398aa5ec5 1 Why Trump Keeps Winning: The Truth No One AdmitsBo Rothstein
u421983467 a350a084 b098 4970 9834 739dc11b73a5 1 America Is About to Become the Next BrexitJ Bradford DeLong
u4219834676ba1b3a2 b4e1 4c79 960b 6770c60533fa 1 The End of the ‘West’ and Europe’s FutureGuillaume Duval
u421983462e c2ec 4dd2 90a4 b9cfb6856465 1 The Transatlantic Alliance Is Dying—What Comes Next for Europe?Frank Hoffer
u421983467 2a24 4c75 9482 03c99ea44770 3 Trump’s Trade War Tears North America Apart – Could Canada and Mexico Turn to Europe?Malcolm Fairbrother
u4219834676e2a479 85e9 435a bf3f 59c90bfe6225 3 Why Good Business Leaders Tune Out the Trump Noise and Stay FocusedStefan Stern
u42198346 4ba7 b898 27a9d72779f7 1 Confronting the Pandemic’s Toxic Political LegacyJan-Werner Müller
u4219834676574c9 df78 4d38 939b 929d7aea0c20 2 The End of Progess? The Dire Consequences of Trump’s ReturnJoseph Stiglitz

ETUI advertisement

HESA Magazine Cover

What kind of impact is artificial intelligence (AI) having, or likely to have, on the way we work and the conditions we work under? Discover the latest issue of HesaMag, the ETUI’s health and safety magazine, which considers this question from many angles.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Eurofound advertisement

Ageing workforce
How are minimum wage levels changing in Europe?

In a new Eurofound Talks podcast episode, host Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound expert Carlos Vacas Soriano about recent changes to minimum wages in Europe and their implications.

Listeners can delve into the intricacies of Europe's minimum wage dynamics and the driving factors behind these shifts. The conversation also highlights the broader effects of minimum wage changes on income inequality and gender equality.

Listen to the episode for free. Also make sure to subscribe to Eurofound Talks so you don’t miss an episode!

LISTEN NOW

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

Spring Issues

The Spring issue of The Progressive Post is out!


Since President Trump’s inauguration, the US – hitherto the cornerstone of Western security – is destabilising the world order it helped to build. The US security umbrella is apparently closing on Europe, Ukraine finds itself less and less protected, and the traditional defender of free trade is now shutting the door to foreign goods, sending stock markets on a rollercoaster. How will the European Union respond to this dramatic landscape change? .


Among this issue’s highlights, we discuss European defence strategies, assess how the US president's recent announcements will impact international trade and explore the risks  and opportunities that algorithms pose for workers.


READ THE MAGAZINE

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. The background to this is the implementation of the European Minimum Wage Directive, which has led to a reorientation of minimum wage policy in many countries and is thus boosting the dynamics of minimum wages. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50 % of the average wage. However, for Germany, a structural increase is still necessary to make progress towards an adequate minimum wage.

DOWNLOAD HERE

KU Leuven advertisement

The Politics of Unpaid Work

This new book published by Oxford University Press presents the findings of the multiannual ERC research project “Researching Precariousness Across the Paid/Unpaid Work Continuum”,
led by Valeria Pulignano (KU Leuven), which are very important for the prospects of a more equal Europe.

Unpaid labour is no longer limited to the home or volunteer work. It infiltrates paid jobs, eroding rights and deepening inequality. From freelancers’ extra hours to care workers’ unpaid duties, it sustains precarity and fuels inequity. This book exposes the hidden forces behind unpaid labour and calls for systemic change to confront this pressing issue.

DOWNLOAD HERE FOR FREE

Social Europe

Our Mission

Team

Article Submission

Advertisements

Membership

Social Europe Archives

Themes Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

Miscellaneous

RSS Feed

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641