With an estimated 1.5 million children having fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, UNICEF is urging countries to set stronger safeguards for child refugees at greater risk of human trafficking.
Children who fled the war in Ukraine with Polish children on March 19, 2022 in Krakow, Poland. Photo: Omar Marques/Getty Imagesto establish stronger safeguards for children at greater risk of human trafficking.An estimated 1.5 million children have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, UNICEF said in a statement Saturday. Improving coordination and screening at border crossings could identify children separated from their families before traffickers can take advantage of them.
An analysis by UNICEF and the Inter-agency Coordination Group against Trafficking determined that 28% of all trafficking victims globally are children.UNICEF and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are setting up safe spaces for children and women called “Blue Dots.” The spaces will offer information and services to refugees, as well as identify unaccompanied children to ensure their protection.
Some have already been set up in countries accepting Ukrainian refugees. More are planned in the coming days, including 34 in Poland.Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, warned of “an acute child protection crisis” if more is not done to improve coordination efforts and screening for vulnerability.
“Displaced children are extremely vulnerable to being separated from their families, exploited, and trafficked. They need governments in the region to step up and put measures in place to keep them safe.”
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