IJM Signs Memorandum of Cooperation with the National Police of Ukraine

Porubne border cross point, Ukraine – International Justice Mission and The National Police of Ukraine sign Memorandum of Cooperation for the prevention, detection, and suppression of offenses in the field of human trafficking, including for combating the exploitation of children, as well as for providing assistance to victims of human trafficking, including victims of child exploitation, in accordance with established legal procedures.

The cooperation agreement was signed by Andrii Anatoliiovych Niebytov, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine – Head of the Criminal Police, and Shawn Kohl, Director of the European Anti-Trafficking Program. The event was also attended by the head of the General Directorate of the National Police in the Chernivtsi region, Victor Necitailo, the deputy head of the Migration Police Department, Maxim Fedorchuk, and Alexandr Metelchin, Protection Officer from IJM Romania.

"Today, the main task in the fight against this type of crime (human trafficking) is to bring the perpetrators to justice and protect the victims. Thus, since the beginning of the large-scale armed aggression, the (Ukrainian) police has documented 331 cases of human trafficking, and 176 traffickers have received the status of suspects. At the same time, members of 15 organized criminal groups involved in human trafficking have already been brought to court. During this period, we identified 249 victims in criminal cases of human trafficking, of which: 107 men, 103 women, including 62 minors.", stated Andrii Anatoliiovych Niebytov, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine – Head of the Criminal Police. "This (the signing of the Memorandum) is another significant step forward, aimed at preventing, identifying and combating crimes in the field of human trafficking, including child exploitation, as well as providing assistance to victims of human trafficking according to the legal provisions," he added.

"We started our Ukraine Crisis Response Program in 2022, immediately after the war in Ukraine broke out, to address the risks in human trafficking faced by Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homeland, and to assist the refugees during their time spent in Romania. Ukrainian refugees are predominantly women and children, who are particularly vulnerable to labor and sex trafficking," said Shawn Kohl, Director of the European Anti-Trafficking Program at International Justice Mission. "This Memorandum of Cooperation is of paramount importance for a constructive partnership between institutions from Ukraine and EU states like Romania and Bulgaria, where IJM is already implementing robust programing. Joint actions will allow significant progress to be made in combating cross-border human trafficking and will ensure effective protection of the rights of Ukrainians affected by the terrible crimes of human trafficking," he added.

International Justice Mission has been working with the National Police of Ukraine for over a year, a collaboration that helped strengthening the organizations’ efforts commenced in 2022 to assist and protect Ukrainian refugees from the risks of human trafficking. In August 2023, IJM received funding from the US Department of State - Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, for the project "Regional Response to Trafficking in Persons within the Ukraine Crisis", aimed at ensuring protection against human trafficking for Ukrainian refugees and other vulnerable populations in Romania and Bulgaria.