September Meeting of Anti-Trafficking Task Force in Ukraine

Got up early this morning to attend the September Anti-Trafficking Task Force meeting in Ukraine (Зустріч Оперативної групи з протидії торгівлі людьми). It was especially interesting meeting since we talked about the newly adopted state programme and talking human trafficking policies in Ukraine is one of my favorite topics! The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the State Targeted Social Program to Combat Human Trafficking until 2030 (Державна цільова соціальна програма протидії торгівлі людьми на період до 2030 року) on September 3, 2026. 

The new programme promotes a trauma-informed approach where victims/survivors will no longer have to repeatedly recount their experiences to various government agencies because a unified system for data sharing will be established. There will also be an expansion of the network of support centers for victims and increased efforts to combat labor, sexual, and other forms of exploitation. Some of the key components of the program include measures to reduce the risks of human trafficking on the Internet and identifying suspicious job advertisements that may contain signs of fraud or the threat of exploitation are directly related to our NSF research project which is great.

At the meeting today we talked about individual survivor needs and if the program is working to meet those needs. We discussed the gaps in the program with victim/survivor assistance, planned measures, and actual assistance. We also evaluated the effectiveness of the anti-trafficking system and the implementation of the measures outlined in the State Program on Combating Human Trafficking through 2030. They are working to get an online portal for reporting the victim status to the government which will be interesting to see since there have been many issues with the status implementation in the past. I also learned that UN money cannot be spent to assist active duty military members even if they are victims of human trafficking. That was a very interesting development which means that many POW are applying for the status since they cannot receive assistance from internationally supported programs.

I listen to the meeting in Ukrainian to practice my skills with the closed captioning so I can read anything that is not clear. It's been pretty interesting to see how much the closed captioning in Ukrainian has improved since the pandemic. One thing that always hits me at the end of the meeting is that everyone wishes each other peaceful skies and I remember that while I sit here in the comfort of my home in the US my colleagues in Ukraine are in an active war zone living through the threat of Russian drone and bombs every day.