Human Trafficking
«Caritas Ukraine adheres to a zero-tolerance policy regarding human trafficking and prohibits the use of any form of human trafficking or forced labor within the network’s operations, including by Affiliated Persons.» Anti-Human Trafficking Policy, p. 3.1
All employees, volunteers, partners, and contractors of the Caritas Ukraine network are prohibited from:
- participating in activities related to human trafficking or profiting from it, even if the victim consents;
- offering or exchanging money, work, goods, or services for sex or other forms of humiliation or exploitation, even if permitted by law in a particular country;
- engaging in sexual relationships between those who provide assistance and those who receive it;
- using forced labor in any form;
- violating salary agreements, for example, by not paying or delaying payments;
- deceiving or defrauding during employment;
- charging money for providing work or employment;
- destroying, confiscating, or concealing an employee’s identification documents, or denying access to them;
- providing employees with working premises that do not meet legal, sanitary, and technical requirements;
- providing housing that does not meet sanitary and technical standards;
- detaining people by force, restricting their freedom of movement or communication, threatening, or blackmailing;
- violating requirements for sending an employee abroad (such an employee must be issued written confirmation of employment and have their return travel costs covered).
Caritas Ukraine has been actively working to combat human trafficking since 2004. The goal of these projects is to strengthen and develop activities for preventing human trafficking in Ukraine, identifying victims of human trafficking, providing assistance, and facilitating their reintegration into society.
Caritas Ukraine aims to actively prevent and counter all forms of human trafficking. To this end, all employees, volunteers, partners, and contractors of the network must:
- Familiarize themselves with the Anti-Human Trafficking Policy and complete Safeguarding training.
- Not use their authority or other position-related opportunities for exploitation, violence, or coercion of other people.
- Avoid any actions or relationships that could be related to human trafficking or raise suspicions.
- Work and cooperate in a way that maximally prevents cases of human trafficking.
- Report any suspicions or violations of the Anti-Human Trafficking Policy through feedback channels.
- Promote zero tolerance for human trafficking even outside of work.
To prevent any cases of human trafficking within the Caritas Ukraine network, an Anti-Human Trafficking Policy has been developed, approved, and implemented as part of the Safeguarding system. For its implementation, Caritas Ukraine, for its part:
- Ensures safe working conditions in accordance with legislation.
- Conducts training to recognize the signs of human trafficking.
- Regularly verifies financial activities and policy compliance through audits.
- Controls access to confidential information.
- Conducts background checks on employees and suppliers, including screening for cooperation with terrorist organizations.
- Includes conditions for compliance with the Safeguarding Policy in contracts with employees, volunteers, interns, partners, and contractors.
→ Take the certified course «Human Trafficking: How to protect yourself and your loved ones» https://prometheus.org.ua/prometheus-free/protect-from-trafficking/
→ Read stories of people who have suffered from human trafficking: https://caritas.ua/news/te-pro-shho-movchat-istoriyi-zhinok-shho-potrapyly-u-seksualne-rabstvo/ , https://caritas.ua/news/torgivlya-lyudmi-problema-shho-ne-vtrachaye-svoyeyi-aktualnosti/
