Adavu is proud to be an official signatory to the following open letter regarding the Invasion of Ukraine and the Anti-Trafficking risks.
March 15 th , 2022.
More than 50 of the world’s most influential anti-trafficking organizations and leaders have come
together to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact it is having on the risk of human
trafficking in the region.
They have signed an open letter that reads in part: “As long as the military invasion of Ukraine
continues, the vulnerability of displaced people in the country to human trafficking will increase due
to deteriorating rule of law and impunity; further forced displacement; humanitarian need and
socio-economic stress and social fragmentation.
“Human trafficking will also escalate in the countries to where people from Ukraine are fleeing.
There have also been deeply concerning reports of attempts to traffic women and girls fleeing
Ukraine in neighboring countries, including Poland and Romania.”
Signatories include the leaders of major anti-trafficking groups like Hope for Justice, the National
Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), Unseen, Shared Hope, The Freedom Fund, Justice & Care,
ECPAT (USA, UK and Norway), and many others from across the United States, the United Kingdom
and Europe.
The signatories call for the Russian authorities to withdraw their troops immediately from Ukraine,
and they call for investigations into potential war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights
violations associated with human trafficking. They call on the countries that are welcoming refugees
to ensure they implement effective prevention measures against human trafficking. They list
measures including training for frontline agencies; safe and legal routes for those who are fleeing;
measures to more easily enable potential victims to be identified; trauma-informed and holistic care
to be made available for survivors of trafficking; and steps taken to ensure perpetrator
accountability. With these countries already doing so much to assist refugees, the signatories ask the
wider international community to shoulder some of the financial burden of these vital measures.
The letter-writers say: “Human trafficking and conflict feed each other. By promising stability,
security and employment, traffickers often appear to offer a greater prospect of hope for individuals
who might have left everything behind.”
A study by U.N. agency the International Labour Organization estimated that human trafficking
generates at least $150bn in illicit profits every year for organized criminals, which further fuels
global instability and insecurity.
