EU sees high risk of child trafficking as 3.3 million Ukrainians flee to Europe

Ylva Johansson (pictured) stated at a news conference that half of the 3.3 million Ukrainians fleeing to EU countries after the war began were children. "Many more millions" were also expected to arrive.

Ukraine is home to a large number of orphans and children who were born to surrogate mothers. She said that this increased the possibility of them being abducted or becoming victims of forced adoptions.

She stated that trafficking children is a major risk to vulnerable children.

She pointed out that there have been very few reports of unaccompanied children at EU border crossings, and few reports of human trafficking.

However, she stated that activists, police, and Ukraine's women organizations had reported some "alarming" cases. She also noted that these abuses were not uncommon in previous situations of mass migration.

Johansson stated that it was important to immediately start a massive awareness campaign about this danger.

She stated that there could be risks at the borders, where criminals could disguise themselves as helpers to take advantage of migrants seeking shelter.