UK's 'Home for Ukraine' entails risks as 'Tinder for sex traffickers', warn charities

Amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis, more than three million people have fled the war-ravaged Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24. In the latest development, the UK has launched a scheme called ‘Homes for Ukraine’ under which residents can sign up to host displaced Ukrainians for six months to a year. However, a letter from 16 refugee and anti-trafficking organisations to UK's communities secretary Michael Gove has warned that the scheme in its present form is potentially dangerous for refugees who have fled Ukraine, as reported by The Guardian. 

The scheme aims to provide safe homes to Ukrainian refugees whereas a group of 16 refugee and anti-trafficking organisations have warned that it could be risky. The said letter has spelled out that the initiative, which allows would-be hosts to be matched with Ukrainians seeking refuge in the UK, actually mocks the dating app Tinder’s signature “swipe left, swipe right” technique to declining or choosing a partner, and has scarce securities. 

What are the Risks to Refugees?

As per the organisations, which include Refugee Action, Refugee Council and the Helen Bamber Foundation, stated that traffickers had already made obvious tries to target Ukrainian women and children, as had slum landlords, as reported by The Guardian. Louise Calvey, head of guarding at charity firm Refugee Action, said that "she was aware of a UK resident wanting to offer accommodation only to an orphan, while another had asked to house a single Ukrainian woman because they wanted help with their childcare." It has been a week since the scheme was launched, with Gove’s scheme garnering a lot of positive response, with about 150,000 offers of support.

However, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has not confirmed how many people have arrived in the UK under the scheme, stating that it would “set out full details of the [number of] visas granted” this week. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, informed, “We’ve had concerns from people in the Ukrainian community about dubious Facebook pages and other websites offering a matching service that looks like it might be run by people with an ulterior motive like trafficking, exploitation or unscrupulous landlords," reported The Guardian.

What does the Letter to Michael Gove say?

The letter sent to UK's communities secretary Michael Gove on Sunday read, “By adopting a hands-off approach to matching, there is a high risk that traffickers, criminals, and unscrupulous landlords set up matching sites and Facebook pages to prey upon the vulnerable." Furthermore, as per The Guardian, the letter from the 16 organisations “with substantive experience leading resettlement programs, delivering hosting schemes, supporting refugees and in anti-trafficking” also warned that the scheme is storing up a housing crisis for the autumn. It read, “We are concerned that this scheme, as currently structured, bakes in a refugee housing and support crisis for the autumn. With hosts only having a duty to accommodate refugees for six months, a heavy burden will be placed on local authorities." 

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