Human traffickers exploit desperation of Ukrainian refugees and their children

Judy Woodruff:

More than 4.5 million people who fled Russia's war in Ukraine have sought refuge in the European Union, around a quarter of them and neighboring Poland.

Most Ukrainians receive a warm welcome. They're offered blanket access to temporary residence — residence permits, so they can work and receive social benefits. But so many women and children seeking to build new lives in trying circumstances also creates opportunities for sexual and labor exploitation.

Special correspondent Rosie Birchard reports from Poland.

Rosie Birchard:

Packing up for the long ride to Ukraine has become a ritual for Elzbieta Jarmulska. For months, the Polish entrepreneur has been rallying women volunteers who drive to the border and beyond to pick up female Ukrainian refugees and their children.

They hope to offer a few hours of protection in the comfort of another woman's car, so new arrivals can avoid relying on male strangers.

Elzbieta Jarmulska, Women Take the Wheel: I personally heard stories about the drivers wanting sexual favors from women for the drive, obviously, telling them first it's for free.

When it comes to accommodation, there are also a lot of stories we heard, even abuse in terms of slavery work, working for — working super hard for accommodation and being abused mentally.

Rosie Birchard:

Olha Fomina and Alla Haivoronska, who both fled Dnipro in Southeast Ukraine alone, are waiting for Elzbieta at this border town train station. Amid all the distress of displacement, they are grateful for the ride to Warsaw.

Olha Fomina, Ukrainian Refugee (through translator):

Yesterday, I was walking around Dnipro looking at all the monuments. I felt that it could be my last time, because I don't know if I will see them again. It was so painful.

Rosie Birchard:

It is misery like this that can offer fertile ground for human traffickers and criminals seeking to profit from desperation, especially when most of those escaping are women and children. Police quickly realized the risks.

Mariusz Ciarka, Polish Police Inspector (through translator):

We have adopted a zero tolerance policy. We have sent a lot of uniformed police officers to the border. They even traveled by trains with refugees, so they could feel safe moving further into Poland.

We have also sent plainclothes officers to monitor the situation, and we used cameras and other gadgets to track the license plates of the cars coming to pick up refugees.

Rosie Birchard:

Around seven million people have crossed from Ukraine into Poland since the day of the invasion last February.

Here at the Polish-Ukrainian border, signs remind refugees to keep safety in mind. They say most people have good intentions, but some may wish to exploit vulnerabilities. For many, making it here onto E.U. and NATO soil is a sigh of relief. But, for some, the road ahead brings new risks.

As millions of Ukrainians settle into life across Europe, an unsettling trend lingers beneath the surface. Web searches for Ukrainian refugee porn surged in the first half of this year.

Regina, who asked us to use her first name only, is not surprised. She received an online offer of rent-free accommodation in exchange for housework and sex with the host, and says she feels the fear and discomfort of objectification in daily life.

Regina, Ukrainian Migrant:

Even in Facebook, in normal communication with Polish men, often, often, dialogue starts with some parts of my body, for example, or asking if I like to swim without clothes.

And I think that only in Ukraine — with Ukrainian girls this situation can be, because we are afraid of many things in this country. We don't know our rights.

Rosie Birchard:

It was finding fair employment which proved tricky for Tatiana. For months, she worked undocumented as a cleaner and had most of her wages withheld. With little in the way of local language skills, she felt especially exposed.

Tatiana, Ukrainian Refugee (through translator):

Week after week, month after month, I was waiting for payment, but they paid me just a small part of what I was owed. In the end, it was all empty promises. The company thinks that they can fool us because we are Ukrainians.

Rosie Birchard:

We asked Tatiana's former employer for comment, but received no reply.

The Polish government, like the rest of the European Union, offers all Ukrainians fleeing war access to work and residence permits for up to three years. But despite its best efforts to protect refugees through one-off support payments, free hot lines and job search support, a lack of local knowledge and language barriers can leave some slipping through the net.

That's the global phenomenon. Migrants are three times more likely to be trapped in exploitative working conditions, often hidden in sectors like agriculture, construction or manufacturing. In Poland, thousands of manual jobs were once filled by Ukrainian men who lived in the country, but have now left to fight for their homeland.

Now migrants from across the world are filling those jobs, finding themselves newly vulnerable to exploitation.

E.U. Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson is tasked with tackling trafficking and organized crime across Europe. She has made it her mission to turn things around.

Ylva Johansson, E.U. Home Affairs Commissioner:

We are looking into setting up a special expert group of prosecutors that are specialized into these specific crimes to have more people convicted.

I'm also looking into whether we should strengthen the sanctions directive on how employers, the responsibility for employers to make sure they do not use or exploit people for — on the labor market.

Rosie Birchard:

Back in Poland, Elzbieta hopes to offer refugees more than just a ride in future. She is busy building a shelter for up to 80 Ukrainians near Warsaw.

Elzbieta Jarmulska:

This place is just dedicated to women and their children, so they can have a safety bubble and be in it for a while.

Rosie Birchard:

For now, this aspiring sanctuary faces mounting costs and remains under construction, like the dreams of so many Ukrainians who hoped they would never have to leave home behind at all.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Rosie Birchard in Przemysl by the Polish-Ukrainian border.