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Description
As a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war, more than 500,000 Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have entered Bulgaria so far, while more than 85,000 of them have stayed in the country.
Along with the humanitarian and administrative support that refugees receive, they need to be prepared for any lurking dangers, one of which the risk of human trafficking. International organisations (OSCE, IOM, Council of Europe) have alarmed that Ukrainian women are extremely vulnerable to trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation. Frightened and desperate, Ukrainian refugee women can easily become victims of labour, sexual exploitation or abuse.
In order to protect them, the project will work with Ukrainian refugee women to empower them to be aware of their rights in the new country and to prevent them from falling in the trap of human trafficking and exploitation through helping them get a legitimate job.
The project includes the organization of two women''s information circles with experts and employers with the objective to introduce the Ukrainian refugees to the Bulgarian labour market and make them aware of the signals of trafficking and exploitation. Additionally, experts will design a methodology to identify suspicious job advertisements targeting Ukrainian refugees. Volunteers will screen the advertisements to find out illegitimate ones, identifying the main pitfalls and risk indicators.
The project will empower 50 Ukrainian refugee women in Sofia and Varna to prevent human trafficking. Based on the results of the women’s circles and the analysis of the job ads, we will develop two reports to support the work of professionals and volunteers involved with refugees. A round table summarizing the results, which we will organize at the end of the project, will contribute to increasing the capacity of institutions and NGOs in the fight against human trafficking among Ukrainian refugees.
Summary of project results
The main goal of the project was to address the risks of involvement in human trafficking faced by Ukrainian women in Bulgaria, as well as the challenges related to their integration into the labor market and becoming fully integrated in the socioeconomic life of the new country. To achieve the main goal, within the framework of the project, pilot, innovative methods for assessing risk job advertisements and empowering Ukrainian women were developed. These methods will assist the Ukraine women in understanding their rights in the new country and integrating into the labor market, recognizing and avoiding potential hazards on the road.
In the implementation of the project, the following main activities were implemented:
Two Women''s Circles were organized with the participation of experts and employers with the aim of integrating Ukrainian refugee women into the Bulgarian labor market and recognizing signals of trafficking and exploitation. As a result, 55 Ukrainian refugee women were empowered in Sofia and Varna;
A Methodology for monitoring and typologising job advertisements concerning Ukrainian refugees was developed, in order to detect suspicious job advertisements and the primary risk indicators;
Based on the results of the analysis of job advertisements, two reports to support professionals and volunteers engaged with refugees have been developed;
Two round tables were held, summarizing the results, aimed at increasing the capacity of institutions, non-governmental organizations and international humanitarian organizations to recognize the risks of human trafficking in the refugee flow. As a result of the held round tables, the capacity of a total of 80 representatives of institutions and organizations was increased;
Conducted interactive online information and educational campaign using the "snowball" methodology https://bgsurveys.eu/poll .
The project enabled the representatives of the Ukrainian community in Bulgaria to obtain systematized information about their rights in the new country, the local specifics in the job application process, the red flags they should watch out for during this process. The main added value for the Ukrainian refugees was the access to specialized information, presented in an understandable and systematized way, answering many questions and pointing to specific solutions. The opportunity for individual consultations, meetings with experts and employers, contacts with new people from their community, helped to foster a sense of security, support and future direction.
The joint work of "Dignita" Foundation with other organizations strengthened their strategic partnership, as well as contributed to the empowerment of the organizations'' teams and their volunteers on the topics of socio-economic integration of refugees and the risks of human trafficking and exploitation among them.
All materials from the Women''s Circles are available online. This model can be replicated and built upon, and "Dignita" intends to continue to conduct Women''s Circles with a view to their relevance and efficacy.
The main tools developed under the project have been handed over to the relevant institutions in order to a) continue the prevention of human trafficking by increasing the number of activities and efforts to reach a larger number of refugee women and b) activate the responsible institutions to promote law enforcement detection activities of potential exploitation schemes exposed through illicit job postings.