Closure of Utrecht facility puts Ukrainian refugees at risk of human trafficking

The national registration point for Ukrainians in Utrecht has been closed since this week. Now, the refugees have to find their own accommodation without help, EenVandaag reports. For vulnerable refugees in particular, this poses the risk of being exposed to human trafficking and exploitation, warns National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking Conny Rijken.

Since Monday, the doors of the Jaarbeurs registration center for Ukrainians have remained closed to new refugees because the facility is too overcrowded. Since the closure, at least 15 people in need of protection have been turned away at the door, EenVanDag reports. They are now on their own and must look for a place to sleep or somewhere else to live.

According to Rijken is concerned about this development. It is already difficult enough for Dutch people to find accommodation in the cities, who would otherwise end up on the streets. This is even more difficult, almost impossible for refugees who neither speak the language nor are familiar with Dutch institutions and regulations. Therefore, these people can more easily fall into the hands of human traffickers.

It is estimated that around 5,000 people are victims of human trafficking in the Netherlands every year. The number of Ukrainian victims, in particular, has risen alarmingly in the last year, EenVandaag reports.

The Minister for Asylum and Migration, Marjolein Faber, stated last week that she wanted Ukrainians in the Netherlands to provide their own accommodation as much as possible to relieve the authorities' burden. For instance, the municipalities should examine “whether Ukrainians who already have accommodation can take in compatriots.”

This is a well-intentioned proposal, but here, too, Ukrainian refugees looking for accommodation can end up with people with bad intentions and are exposed to this without protection, says Rijken.

For the National Rapporteur, the solution lies in the asylum distribution law. This would ensure that municipalities invest in the long-term reception of asylum seekers. This would also be a preventive measure for people at risk of human trafficking. “The staff would then know who is in the reception center, and a relationship of trust could be established, which would provide guarantees to counteract this type of practice,” she tells EenVandaag.

Rijken, therefore, wants the government to retain the law that came into force at the beginning of this year. “It would be a shame if it were abolished because, in recent years, we have seen how difficult it is to organize reception without the distribution law. With all its consequences for the vulnerability of refugees.”