Ukraine war: Aid organizations report missing children

According to the UN, 2.5 million people have already fled Ukraine. Children are said to have disappeared at several train stations and human trafficking is taking place. Warnings are also given in Germany.

Several aid organizations report missing children and human trafficking as a result of the war in Ukraine. The Guardian reports. There are cases of children who were sent off alone by their families to visit relatives, but who were never picked up at the train stations, said Karolina Wierzbińska from the Polish human rights organization Homo Faber: “Of course, this is extremely stressful for a child and can lead to that it wanders around the station alone and disoriented and in the worst case scenario disappears completely. This is unfortunately not a hypothetical case – it has already happened.”

Wierzbińska also reports on cases of human trafficking: According to this, men offer women a ride or a job at train stations. As a result, however, abuse or extortion can also occur. Due to the large number of people, it is not possible to check everyone in the train stations who offers to help. She estimates that around ten percent of the offers come from criminals.

Caritas in Slovakia has had similar experiences: “We believe that human traffickers and recruiters are most likely targeting both women traveling alone and women traveling with children,” said Monika Molnárová. t-online had already reported similar cases at Berlin Central Station. Here you can read more about it.

The EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johannson therefore announced this week that she would take stronger action against human trafficking in the EU. “You know that human trafficking is the most profitable crime of all,” Johansson said on Tuesday in the European Parliament. Drugs or weapons can each be sold once. “Those who deal in children can sell them again and again and again and again. We have an obligation to protect these children.” Much more needs to be done than before.

According to the UN, 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine because of the war. Johannson estimates that around half of the refugees are children.