Seminar
The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), together with the Polish Embassy in Norway are hosting a panel discussion on measures to prevent human trafficking in the context of the war in Ukraine.
The invasion of Ukraine has in a short amount of time led to the largest number of people fleeing into Europe since World War II. More than five million refugees have fled to neighboring countries since the beginning of the war. In the first reception phase, a great number of volunteers have mobilised to help the Ukrainian refugees. Their help has been essential, providing free transport, accommodation, employment and various other forms of assistance. Alongside this solidarity shown by civil actors, and potentially, taking benefit of the lack of organised processes, a significant risk has emerged in the form of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse at the hands of criminal networks and predatory individuals, targeting highly vulnerable people, of which 90% are women and children.
This panel discussion will focus on raising awareness around the power dynamics at play between the refugees, citizen-led volunteer networks and organisations and governments’ tools both for facilitating these forms of assistance and for preventing human trafficking, against the background of ongoing reception efforts of people fleeing Ukraine.
The panel will be chaired by Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert, Research Director at PRIO and Co-director of the NCHS.
The panel is organised on the occasion of the Norwegian Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, and its work in the area of human trafficking.
As this event has now taken place, a recording of the discussion is provided below.
