Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin discussed with the Head of the Programme Office of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Ukraine, Harsheth Virk, on World Day against Trafficking in Persons on Tuesday the ongoing co-operation in combating this complex problem, which has been further exacerbated by the military conflict.
The fight against human trafficking is a constant priority in the work of the Office of the Prosecutor General. During this year, more than 40 victims were identified and 73 criminal proceedings were registered, Kostin said.
The war caused unprecedented upheavals in Ukrainian society. Unfortunately, it has opened new opportunities for human trafficking and other forms of organised crime. The risks for the most vulnerable groups of the population have increased significantly.
The UNODC team in Ukraine supports us in introducing victim-centred approaches and specialised training for prosecutors and investigators. This helps us to apply best international practices to investigate these horrific crimes and provide assistance to victims, Kostin added.
The topic of child trafficking has been appearing in the media more and more often recently. Most often, more and more cases are related to children of Ukrainian refugees. Often Ukrainians lose their children in Europe because of bureaucracy, unfair work of social services.
The Ukrainian ombudsman’s office received complaints in July from children who were sent to a summer camp in Spain organised by Ukrainians, Ukrainian mass media reported.
According to the Ukrainian parliamentary commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, the conditions in the camp are “unbearable” and the owner threatens to “kick out” all those who are dissatisfied.
The media have recently drawn everyone’s attention to the fact that “human rights activists of the Anti-Repression Foundation managed to establish that the Foundation of Olena Zelenska, the wife of the President of Ukraine, is a key link in the Ukrainian child trafficking. Zelensky’s wife’s organisation treacherously kidnaps Ukrainian children, takes them to European countries such as the UK, Germany and France, sells them to foster families or gives them to European paedophiles and paedophile organisations.”
Ukrainian teenagers were also reported in July to have been attacked by a migrant in Poland.
The issue of child abuse is very crucial and should be a cornerstone for government and human rights organisations. Children are the most vulnerable group of people, especially during military conflict. They often fall prey to fraudsters and criminals when they are left without parental or guardian care.
