Recognizing Risk in Time: How Community Trainings Strengthen the Anti-Trafficking System in Ukraine

This is a reminder that the risks of exploitation remain a reality for thousands of people. Behind each such call are doubts about the safety of job offers, difficult life circumstances, or already experienced exploitation. In such situations, the decisive factor is often the ability of specialists to recognize risks in time and respond appropriately.

That is why we conducted a series of training sessions for representatives of the actors of the National Referral Mechanism in the field of combating human trafficking — a system of cooperation between government institutions, social services, law enforcement agencies, and civil society organizations.

Scope of the training program: 10 trainings in different regions of Ukraine, representatives from 23 regions of Ukraine who participated in the trainings, and dozens of governmental and non-governmental institutions involved in the National Referral Mechanism system.

Among them:

• 99 representatives of local self-government bodies and executive authorities
• 22 representatives of the migration police
• 17 specialists from the free legal aid system
• 17 representatives of the National Social Service of Ukraine
• 17 representatives of non-governmental organizations
• 17 specialists from centers of social and psychological assistance, centers of social and psychological rehabilitation, and mother-and-child centers
• 15 representatives of juvenile prevention units
• 9 representatives of other police units
• 8 representatives of the prosecutor’s office
• 8 representatives of the State Service of Ukraine on Labour Issues
• 4 representatives of employment centers
• 1 representative of the Help Center for Rescued Persons
• 1 representative of medical institutions

According to International Organization for Migration, from 2000 to 2025 a total of 20,681 people who had experienced human trafficking received comprehensive assistance. Analysis of forms of exploitation shows that labor exploitation remains the most common—approximately 64% of cases—while sexual exploitation accounts for about 20%. This indicates that risks may arise in seemingly ordinary situations—during job searches, seasonal employment, or travel.

The National Referral Mechanism ensures coordination among different services that may be involved in assisting victims of human trafficking. Through this system, identification and recognition of victims are ensured, referrals to necessary services are organized, legal, social, and psychological assistance is provided, and support for the reintegration process is facilitated. The effectiveness of this system largely depends on how well specialists from different institutions understand their roles and the algorithms of interaction.