2-5 April 2024 - To combat human trafficking, UNODC is committed to providing country-specific interventions and supporting a range of activities and policies, such as the amendment of anti-trafficking legislation, the intensification of law enforcement efforts, the implementation of victim-centered protection policies and services, and the implementation of prevention activities in line with the anti-trafficking standards set out in the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons.
In June 2023, the prosecution service in Ukraine established a Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Unit at the central level (Office of the Prosecutor General) and subsequently assigned prosecutors at the regional level Ukraine-wide. On April 2024, the Head of the UNODC office in Ukraine, Harsheth Virk, and UNODC expert met with senior representatives of the regional prosecutor's offices in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Odesa to discuss the situation and needs to address TIP in the regional context. Various measures for developing and implementing effective strategies and interventions at the local level to combat human trafficking, including training activities on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) were discussed.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Head of the Public Prosecutor's Office (PPO), Mr Serhiy Bizhko, was present with his team to discuss potential cooperation with UNODC in implementing anti-trafficking measures in line with the Ukrainian legislation, national action plans and policies. The PPO identified the need for specific anti-trafficking actions to combat forced labor in the region. Enhanced coordination and technical assistance should also be implemented to address urgent challenges such as the length of trials and the call to testify for victims of human trafficking. Discussions focused on relevant technical assistance activities, including local trainings on human trafficking and CRSV, and the need to increase cooperation between UNODC and key stakeholders such as the Prosecutors' Training Center and the State University of Internal Affairs. The Dnipropetrovsk regional PPO also called for crime related to human trafficking, including financial crime and anti-money laundering, as well as cybercrime, to be taken into account in the design of future interventions.
Based in Mariupol before the invasion, the Donetsk PPO has been relocated to the city of Dnipro. The head of the Donetsk Region PPO and his team exchanged views with UNODC on the challenges of advancing anti-trafficking efforts, in particular the process of gathering evidence through witness and victim interviews, undercover investigations and open-source intelligence. Discussions with UNODC also raised the question of how to build a comprehensive approach to combating TIP and develop and implement effective regional strategies, including through results-oriented capacity-building activities targeting local trainers, and how increased collaboration with the Office in Ukraine could lead to tangible progress in the fight against human trafficking and related crimes.
As part of its regional approach to combating human trafficking, the Head of the Odesa Region PPO, Mr Ihor Domuschei, and his team discussed with UNODC on the PPO's best practices in cooperation between police, prosecutors and courts, as well as with international authorities and NGOs to combat TIP, taking into account its transnational and cross-border nature. To ensure that political and police responses can keep pace with this ever-evolving challenge, UNODC and the Odessa Region PPO exchanged views on potential local training plans, including on sexual and gender-based violence during the conflict and TIP related crimes, and on how to strengthen partnerships to address the vulnerability of trafficking victims, including Ukrainians on the move, to human traffickers (read our webstory ‘Training on ‘Identifying cases and refer victims of trafficking in persons among Ukrainians on the move').
By weakening the rule of law, corrupting supply chains, exploiting workers and fueling violence, disproportionately affecting vulnerable poeple, including women and children, human trafficking is a heinous crime. In partnership with the Ukrainian government and the regional PPOs, UNODC is committed to supporting Ukraine by providing key resources to advance anti-trafficking efforts accross the country and at the borders, in line with the Office's mandate on this key human rights and criminal justice issue.
Further information
UNODC
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/human-trafficking/
Latest UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons
UNODC Research (December 2022). Conflict in Ukraine: Key Evidence on Risks of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants, update 2022: https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/tip/Conflict_Ukraine_TIP_2022.pdf
World Anti-Trafficking Day 2024 (30.07): This year's global campaign urges accelerated action to end child trafficking. Thematic 2024: "Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking".
UN Standard
UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Woman and Children supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and related European and national legislations.
Recent developments within the legal and institutional frameworks in Ukraine
In June 2023, the Government of Ukraine has approved the State targeted social program for combatting human trafficking for the period until 2025. The program aims to improve the mechanism for preventing human trafficking, to increase the effectiveness of identifying persons who commit such crimes, as well as to ensure the protection of the rights of persons who have suffered from human trafficking and to provide them with assistance.
As of October 2023, the prosecution service introduced a new TIP Unit established at the central level (Office of the Prosecutor General) and assigned prosecutors at the regional level Ukraine-wide. In addition, the Office of the Prosecutor General launched an interdepartmental working group on detection termination and investigation of crimes related to human trafficking and a Coordination Centre for the Support of Victims and Witnesses. A total of 217 investigators (Main Investigation Department of the NPU) and 212 prosecutors (appointed in September 2023) work on investigating and prosecuting in proceedings related to human trafficking.
