August 2024
Two women from Ukraine recently received support from IJM after they were trafficked to Romania and forced to work without pay.
Living amidst the ongoing war and severe economic instability, Eve* and Olga* were both tricked by the same woman – their neighbour and friend.
When Eve’s neighbour invited her to visit another location in Ukraine, Eve didn’t think much of it. Instead, Eve found herself being driven across the border into Romania and taken to an unknown apartment.
“I immediately started breaking down,” Eve said. “I asked, ‘Where are we going?’ She said, ‘Be quiet. You’ll see soon.’”
Inviting Olga on holiday to Bulgaria, the suspect then drove Olga to Romania and forced her to work with Eve for no pay.
For months, Eve and Olga were forced to do hard physical labour while enduring constant verbal abuse and threats. The women were given little to eat, and their passports and bank cards were confiscated.
Eve remembers being physically and emotionally exhausted. With no money and no legal documents, they were trapped. “I was mostly locked up for two months. Locked up!” recalls Eve.
Eventually, Olga and Eve managed to escape and sought help from the local authorities in Romania, who referred the women to IJM.
Karolina, IJM’s Protection Officer in Romania, was the first to meet the women. “It was very late and both women were extremely tired and quite stressed,” she recalls. “Neither of them knew where they were exactly.”
IJM provided the women with much-needed safe accommodation, medical and psychological care. The team also helped the women testify with the Romanian authorities.
When Eve and Olga were safe to return home, IJM accompanied them to the border and arranged their travel with the Ukrainian authorities, ensuring that the social services they needed would continue at home.
“The women were thrilled to go back home because those months had been the longest they had ever been away from their families,” says Karolina. “[Their return] was a significant moment – they could start a new life. They no longer needed to be scared.”
Having gathered sufficient evidence, investigators served the perpetrator with a notice of suspicion of human trafficking.
Olga and Eve are deeply relieved to know that the perpetrator will not be able to exploit them again. The suspect is currently in a temporary detention center and could see up to 12 years in prison.
*Pseudonyms and stock images used.