The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called on the UK government to step in to stop single British men from being compared to single Ukrainian women seeking asylum from war for fear of sexual exploitation.
Following allegations that predatory men are using the Homes for Ukraine scheme to target the vulnerable, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told the Guardian that a “more appropriate matching process” could be put in place to ensure that women and women with children are mated to families or couples.
The World Refugee Agency’s assumption is followed by reports that Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and sometimes accompanied by children, are at risk of sexual exploitation in the UK.
According to the government’s Home for Ukraine scheme, British housewives need to contact Ukrainian refugees themselves, leaving tens of thousands of people to resort to unregulated social media groups to connect.
A government-backed matching service run by the charity Reset is offering to match UK hosts with refugees, but has been running for just over a week. Those who want to move to the UK must have a sponsor before applying for a visa.
In a statement, UNHCR said it needed adequate safeguards and verification measures against exploitation, as well as adequate support for sponsors. “[The] UNHCR believes that a more appropriate matching process can be put in place to ensure that women and women with children are mated to families or couples and not to unmarried men.
“Comparisons made without proper supervision can increase the risks that women may face, in addition to the trauma of resettlement, family separation and violence they have already experienced,” a spokesman said.
Leading refugee charities have expressed concern about the Homes for Ukraine scheme in a letter to Michael Gove, the minister responsible for the scheme. Louise Calvi, head of security at the charity Refugee Action, told the Observer that there was a risk of being a “Tinder for Sex Traffickers”.
A 32-year-old woman from Bakhmut, Ukraine, who is looking for a suitable person in the United Kingdom, wrote that she received impressive messages from men in the Messenger application on Facebook. “I was approached by an older man from London who said I would have to share a bedroom with him and was asked if I was okay with it,” she said in an email seen by the Guardian.
The Times reported this week that a journalist posing as a 22-year-old Ukrainian woman from Kyiv found that within minutes of posting a message in the UK’s largest host group on Facebook, she was flooded with inappropriate messages.
Some men lied that they had several bedrooms in their homes with one bed, while another offered to share the bed, writing: “I have a big bed. We could sleep together. “Another sent a voice note saying,” I’m ready to help you, and maybe you can help me, too. “
In a statement, UNHCR also expressed concern about the consequences if the original host in the UK demonstrates a potential threat to the safety of refugees, as well as the minimum duration of six months under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
“UNHCR believes that appropriate training and information are needed to ensure that hosts make an informed decision when applying to become sponsors. “Placing a stranger in an extra bedroom for an extended period of time is not sustainable for some people,” the spokesman said.
Public outrage is growing over the length of time Ukrainians have been forced to wait before being granted visas by the Interior Ministry amid Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War II.
Priti Patel, the interior minister, apologized on Friday for the time it took for Ukrainian refugees to arrive in the UK on two visa schemes, after figures show that only 12,000 have reached Britain so far.
Reports Tuesday said Gove was accused of harassing Interior Ministry officials by Patel’s permanent secretary, Matthew Rycroft.
Asked to respond to a UNHCR request for intervention against the sexual exploitation of Ukrainian women, a government spokesman said: measures, including reliable security checks and biographical data of all sponsors, both from the Ministry of Interior and local authorities.
“The councils must make at least one personal visit to the property of sponsors and after the arrival of the guests, they are obliged to ensure that the guest is safe and healthy.
“We have also partnered with the charity Reset Communities and Refugees to fund and provide a sponsorship and refugee matching service to ensure that matches are appropriate, safe and successful. This service will check eligibility, assess needs and provide training to sponsors to ensure that they can support the people who host. “
Asked to confirm or deny that there had been a complaint that Gove had harassed staff, the spokesman added: Thousands of Ukrainians find safety in the UK.
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