The Council of Europe has restated its commitment to protecting Ukrainian children from trafficking and exploitation on the World Day against trafficking in persons.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has increased vulnerabilities that can leave children at particular risk of trafficking, the CE said in a statement issued in Strasbourg on 3 August 2026.
Children who have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred face additional dangers linked to separation from their families, isolation in closed environments, changes to their legal status and the lack of independent monitoring, according to the Council of Europe.
The organisation stated that addressing these risks remains a priority for its Consultation Group on the children of Ukraine (CGU), a Council of Europe body that brings together representatives of member states, including Ukraine, as well as other Council of Europe bodies and international partners.
The issue has been discussed at two of the group’s most recent plenary meetings, it added.
Report maps trafficking risks linked to displacement
The work has been supported by an analytical report on trafficking risks in the context of the displacement and deportation of Ukrainian children, prepared at the initiative of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) — an expert body that monitors how countries tackle human trafficking.
The report identifies recurring patterns and “risk trajectories” and calls for the use of anti-trafficking mechanisms for risk assessment, early identification, prevention and protection, even where the legal classification of individual cases has not yet been established.
GRETA also issued a statement on 9 July 2026 on trafficking risks for Ukrainian children subjected to unlawful deportation or forcible transfer, calling for proactive prevention, early identification of potential victims, protection and assistance, information exchange, and cooperation between war-crimes investigations, child-protection actors and anti-trafficking mechanisms,.
The CGU will continue working with state authorities, GRETA and other partners to strengthen capacity to prevent trafficking, identify risks early and protect children who may be affected.
