Strasbourg - The Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) published a report on Friday, Sept. 19 concerning the situation in Ukraine as part of its assessment of compliance with the May 3, 2005 Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.
“GRETA welcomes the steps taken by Ukraine to develop the legal and institutional framework for combating human trafficking,” the report says.
The report, however, says that the number of Ukrainian victims of trafficking for the purposes of labor exploitation has increased significantly since 2010.
The complicated economic situation in Ukraine and high unemployment has made the country’s rural population more vulnerable, the document said.
GRETA also said it was seriously concerned by the current crisis in Ukraine and the growing number of internally displaced persons, who could be vulnerable from the point of view of human trafficking.
The document calls on the Kyiv authorities to step up cooperation with non-governmental organizations in order to effectively crack down on human trafficking, as well as to allocate more budget funds for these purposes.
“Additional measures are also needed to ensure that victims of trafficking have effective access to compensation,” the report says.
“Moreover, GRETA urges the Ukrainian authorities to ensure that human trafficking offences are effectively investigated and prosecuted through developing the training and specialization of investigators, judges and prosecutors,” it says.
