On 24 August, exactly 1.5 years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, La Strada International, HEUNI and the partners of the ELECT THB project organised a webinar on the risks of human trafficking and other severe forms of labour exploitation faced by those who left or remained in Ukraine. Topics discussed included: What do we know of the trafficking risks 1.5 years after the full-scale war started? What are the exploitative labour practices we see that impact those that left or remained in Ukraine? Which groups remain vulnerable and why? What should be done to reduce vulnerabilities? What is the role of the states, and other actors including the private sector?
Speakers included: Anniina Jokinen, Senior programme officer, HEUNI, coordinator of the ELECT THB project; Heather Komenda, Senior Regional Thematic Specialist for Migrant Protection at the IOM Regional Office in Vienna; Kateryna Cherepakha, Director of La Strada Ukraine; Kiril Sharapov, Associate Professor of Applied Social Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University, UK; and Suzanne Hoff, International Coordinator of La Strada International.
See here the recording.
A summary report of the ELECT THB project based on the mapping in five countries is available now: “Patterns of exploitation. Trends and modus operandi in human trafficking in Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Ukraine”. La Strada International conducted the mapping in Ukraine and Poland with our members in these countries.