Switzerland seeks to protect Ukrainian refugees from exploitation

Some 28,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine have so far arrived in Switzerland. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

The Swiss migration office has issued guidelines to help Ukrainian refugees avoid falling prey to human traffickers.

More than 28,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine have so far arrived in Switzerland, with many more expected to follow.

The State Secretariat for Migration on Monday warned of “malicious individuals seeking to gain advantages exploit the predicament and weaknesses of persons fleeing their home country.  These persons, especially women and children, are particularly at risk.”

The information campaignExternal link warned refugees to be wary of “overly generous offers of assistance or employment” and only to hand travel documents over to public officials.

Refugees are also being advised to take photos of their identity documents and to send copies to trusted friends along with details of their movements.

The information goes so far as to advise refugees to take photos of car license plates and to send this to friends before getting into vehicles.

Anyone experiencing problems or feeling unsafe should contact staff at asylum centres or at a special victim support centreExternal link.

The “Protect yourself! – Human trafficking and other forms of abuseExternal link” advice is available online in multiple languages.