A letter from 16 anti-trafficking and anti-trafficking organizations to the secretary of the Gove communities warns that the program in its current form is potentially dangerous for refugees who have fled Ukraine. He says the initiative, which allows would-be hosts to match Ukrainians seeking refuge in the UK, effectively mimics Tinder’s “swipe left, swipe right” dating application approach to rejecting or choosing a partner and has insufficient safeguards. Initial figures from the letter’s signatories, including the Refugee Action, the Refugee Council and the Helen Bamber Foundation, said the traffickers had already made apparent efforts to target Ukrainian women and children, as well as slum owners. Louise Calvey, head of the charity Refugee Action, said she knew one UK resident wanted to provide housing only to an orphan, while another asked to house an unmarried Ukrainian because she wanted help with caring for her children. . The Gove program, which started just a week ago, received a huge response, with around 150,000 offers of support. However, the Department for Housing and Urban Development (DLUHC) did not say how many people had arrived in the UK as part of the program, saying it would provide full details of [number of] visas were issued “this week. Ukrainian refugees at the railway station in Przemysl, southeastern Poland. Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP / Getty Images Some families who have applied for sponsorship have complained that the system is too complicated. Calvey said: “We are concerned that problems with the system mean that there is a risk of becoming a Tinder for sex traffickers. “We already know people with illegal motives who are advertised on social media.” Enver Solomon, executive director of the Refugee Council, said: human trafficking. , exploitation or unscrupulous owners “. The letter, sent to Gove on Saturday, said: “By adopting a hands-on approach to matching, there is a high risk that traffickers, criminals and rogue owners will create similar websites and Facebook pages to rob vulnerable people.” Calvey also called for police to be put in place to crack down on plotters and organized crime individuals and gangs seeking to loot Ukrainian refugees. The National Crime Agency (NCA), which investigates trafficking, confirmed that it had not been asked by the government to regulate the system. Although Gove initially said that the hosts would undergo “very light touch” criminal records checks, in reality everyone should have undergone Disclosure and Blocking Service (DBS) checks. Yegor Lanovenko, who heads an organization called Opora, which has set up a database of Ukrainians to see sponsors and has recorded 400,000 profile views in a week, said the criminals had also targeted UK residents who wanted to offer the Ukrainians a home. “Everyone just logged on to Facebook and posted their passports, their homes, their addresses with the obvious dangers that come with it, and we’ve seen so many people say, ‘I just posted on Facebook, now I’ve been cheated five times.’ “Who thought it would be a good idea?” Lanovenko added Reports from Poland already indicate that refugee women and children who have just left Ukraine are being targeted by pimps and sex traffickers acting alone and in gangs, according to border charities. The letter from the 16 organizations “with substantial experience in guiding resettlement programs, hosting programs, refugee support and the fight against trafficking in human beings” also warns that the program is storing a housing crisis for the autumn: “We are concerned that this program, as currently structured, baking in a refugee housing and support crisis for the fall. “With the hosts tasked with hosting refugees for only six months, it will be a heavy burden for local authorities to pick up the pieces if new housing is required.” Organizations, which also include the No Accommodation Network and Ecpat UK, say 11,000 Afghans have been stranded in hotels for months after the fall of Kabul. A spokesman for the Ministry of Elevation, Housing and Communities said: “No visa is issued by the Ministry of the Interior until the checks are completed on the Ukrainian applicant as well as on every adult in the donor’s household. Local authorities will then conduct DBS audits of donors, with enhanced DBS with excluded list audits for those housing families with children or vulnerable adults. “Under the Homes for Ukraine program, Ukrainians will be guaranteed free access to NHS health care, including mental health care. They will also be able to work and receive benefits. The government has also ensured that local authorities have the appropriate levels of funding to support new arrivals. “
