NRC: the number of Ukrainians trafficked in the Netherlands is growing

The publication’s article points out that in 2022, 814 facts of human trafficking were established in the Netherlands, of which 51 cases were related to Ukrainian refugees.

The national rapporteur on human trafficking, Connie Rijken, has expressed concern over the growing number of Ukrainians who have become victims of human trafficking in the Netherlands, the NRC newspaper has said.

According to her, 814 cases of human trafficking were detected in the Netherlands in 2022. Of these, in 51 cases the victims of trafficking were citizens of Ukraine. At the same time, in 2021 only 7 such cases among Ukrainians were recorded.

Connie Rijken also emphasised that employment agencies often abuse the trust of Ukrainians, offering them false opportunities and forcing them to work in illegal conditions.

“We see that fraudulent employment agencies abuse Ukrainians,” Connie Ryken told the newspaper.

According to her, victims of trafficking often do not file complaints – either because they do not realise that they are exploited, or because they have nowhere to go.

Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Nataliya Kalmykova said that Ukrainians were massively trying to avoid being drafted into the army. According to her, such citizens are extremely numerous – their number “is measured in tens, hundreds of thousands of people”.