On the margins of the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), a virtual parallel event was organised on 15 March 2024 by La Strada International, La Strada Ukraine, the Office of the Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy of Ukraine and the Anti-Trafficking Division of the Council of Europe.
The webinar aimed to expose the exploitative practices and risks of human trafficking and related forms of labour and sexual exploitation faced by Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced persons, and to encourage international agencies, national governments and other actors to continue to address their vulnerabilities.
The work of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) was presented by Petya Nestorova, Executive Secretary of the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Convention. Following Russian aggression against Ukraine, GRETA issued a Guidance Note providing practical advice to States Parties to the Convention on how to ensure that public agencies, NGOs, the private sector and the general public minimise the risks of human trafficking created by the war in Ukraine. GRETA has been reporting on steps taken by States Parties to prevent and limit the risks of trafficking of Ukrainian refugees, as well as any detected cases.
Other speakers included Kateryna Levchenko, Ukrainian Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy, Iryna Postolovska, Dputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Mykhaylo Spasov, Representative of the Ombudsman's Office of Ukraine, Katya Cherepakha, Director of La Strada Ukraine, Yaroslava Dyo, Chief Expert of the Digital Skills Development and Digital Education Department, as well as Eefje de Volder and Anne-Marie de Brouwer from IMPACT: Center against human trafficking and sexual violence in conflicts.
