Consultative Women’s Circles Within the ERADICATING II Project to Support the Integration of Ukrainian Refugees

In June, the team of the “Dignita” Foundation launched the consultative women’s circles within the framework of the ERADICATING II Project, in collaboration with other institutions and organizations from six countries (Germany, Poland, Greece, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania). The chosen format includes Ukrainian refugee women and aims for an informal discussion on integration issues, settling in Bulgaria, potential challenges related to entering the labor market, and the presence of exploitation practices. The goal is to gather primary information regarding the risk of labor exploitation.

The women’s circles are part of the research conducted by the “Dignita” Foundation under the project, assessing the risks of human trafficking for labor exploitation among Ukrainian refugees. In May, 3 focus groups were held with the participation of representatives from non-governmental and humanitarian organizations working directly with Ukrainian refugees in the six consortium member states. During the discussions, participants shared their experiences and observations regarding the main risk factors and vulnerabilities faced by Ukrainian refugees in the process of integration in the host countries.

In the coming months, the “Dignita” Foundation will develop a summary analysis of the data collected during the consultative women’s circles and focus groups. This analysis will serve as a basis for preparing a set of training materials aimed at increasing the capacity of law enforcement officers, labor inspectors, and other front-line specialists.

The EU-funded ERADICATING II project aims to increase the number of identified victims of human trafficking for labor exploitation, especially among vulnerable groups such as women, children, and Ukrainian refugees, and to raise the number of investigations and prosecutions at the EU level. The project’s goal is to improve the capacity of i) law enforcement and prosecutors, ii) labor inspectors, and iii) frontline practitioners to identify, protect, and refer trafficking victims for support and care.

ERADICATING II brings together five law enforcement agencies and five civil society organizations across six countries (Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia), applying a human rights-based approach that is gender-sensitive. The project was developed with consideration for the Ukraine crisis and key trends in human trafficking.