Homes for Ukraine trafficking threat

CARE has expressed concern that Ukrainian refugees seeking safety in the UK could be targeted by criminals.

The UK Government has outlined its Homes for Ukraine scheme, which allows Brits to host Ukrainians in their homes for a minimum of six months.

Although the motivation for the scheme is laudable, trafficking and modern slavery campaigners believe traffickers and others could abuse it to exploit vulnerable women and children.

Lauren Agnew, trafficking policy expert at CARE, outlined her concerns about the scheme in an interview with BBC Radio 4 at the weekend.

Lauren Agnew on Radio 4: CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Earlier this month, Ms Agnew told The Guardian: “With large numbers of applications needing to be processed quickly, red flags could be missed in the vetting of potential hosts".

“Recent statistics from the National Crime Agency estimate there are at least 6,000-8,000 modern slavery offenders in the UK. We can be certain that some of this number will be seeing the Homes for Ukraine scheme as an opportunity to turn a profit", she said.

And Ms Agnew told The Independent: “The government should be aware that criminals wishing to exploit refugees are not going to advertise their intent. They may use individuals with ‘clean’ records to act as a sponsor, including those who are themselves victims of exploitation.