On Tuesday 29 March, the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) discussed the situation of refugee women and children from Ukraine with the Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, who reminded them that out of the 3.8 million people who have so far arrived in the EU, “a half are children”.
In the aftermath of the meeting of EU interior ministers, which took stock of the refugee situation in Member States, MEPs on the FEMM Committee wanted to ask the Commissioner about the specific situation of women and children, who are at greater risk of trafficking and exploitation networks.
Elected representatives such as Elżbieta Łukacijewska (EPP, Poland) have also pointed out issues regarding access to schools and crèches. “Additional teachers are needed”, she commented. She also expressed concern about the fact that news items are now appearing for the first time, such as “disappearance of 16-year-old Ukrainian girl” at the Ukrainian-Polish border.
Spain’s Lina Gálvez Muñoz (S&D) spoke about the special situation facing Ukrainian surrogate mothers and the situation regarding babies that have been promised to European families.
The use of rape as a weapon of war was also cited as a major concern by MEP Terry Reintke (Greens/EFA).
The Commissioner agreed with the elected representatives about these concerns and noted, in the first instance, that the aim of the new European platform for registering refugees is to consolidate statistics and identify any possible disappearances. The European anti-trafficking network is also on alert and police in Member States are carrying out checks on cars and private facilities where these women and children are housed.
While there are no official statistics on this phenomenon, “there are many informal reports of cars picking up vulnerable people”, the Commissioner acknowledged.
With regard to funding, for example to support health, education and school services, the Commissioner reiterated that the European Commission was considering new envelopes, since these tasks do not strictly fall within her ‘migration’ portfolio.
10-point plan
The 10-point plan presented to interior ministers on 28 March also includes the plan drawn up by the European Commission, in collaboration with the European Union Agency for Asylum, for standard operating procedures and uniform guidelines for the reception and support of children, as well as defining specific procedures for the transfer of unaccompanied minors, of which there could already be 6,000, according to UNICEF.
The plan also covers a joint anti-trafficking mission to prevent trafficking and exploitation. Under the leadership of the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, a common anti-trafficking plan will be developed to address the risks of trafficking and support potential victims. The plan will be based on the EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025), explained the Commission in a statement. Link to the plan: https://aeur.eu/f/10z (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)