Fighting human trafficking on the Ukrainian border: an activist's testimony

In the city of Lutsk in western Ukraine, Nina Pakhomiuk, head of "Volyn Perspectives", works every day to protect the rights of trafficked people. Her organization has been operating since 2001, and since 2002 it has been actively involved in helping and investigating cases of human trafficking.

"In the beginning, when we were just starting out, I myself could not imagine that it was possible to sell a person", she recalls, "It was something very difficult to understand."

"Even the law enforcement officers had a hard time dealing with this crime," the activist continues, "They asked us to help a woman who, along with her two small children, had been sold to Poland. Then I realized that this problem was much bigger than it seemed."

Nina and her team quickly began to cooperate with international organizations. Not only did they help the victims, but they were also the first in the region to speak openly about the problem, trying to break societal stereotypes. 

After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the situation escalated. In the first months of the war, more than 20 thousand women and children went missing. Nina says that this is only an approximation, because the chaos at the borders, panic among people, and the desire to leave the country as soon as possible have led to numerous crimes that many victims have not yet spoke about.

"We have seen a real tragedy. People stood at the borders in queues of 15 kilometers, often with small children, without water, food, without knowledge of the language and without an idea of what could await them abroad. Often, they relied on random people who promised help. In some cases, they were tricked into working abroad, exploited on farms, in factories, in poor conditions," Nina recalls.

Difficult beginnings

In the first years of work, Nina Pakhomiuk and her organization had neither support from the state nor sufficient understanding of the problem from society. She started at a time when most people considered the topic of human trafficking to be a myth, a story from a distant world that had nothing to do with Ukraine. However, she soon learned that the reality turned out to be much more cruel.

Nina herself is a survivor of a domestic abuse, so helping others was a healing process for her. When she started her NGO in Western Ukraine – a region near the Polish border which sees a lot of migration every day – she did not expect the problem to be this grand. 

One of her most difficult cases was a woman with two children who ran away from a farm where she was forced to work for free. 

"We were approached by law enforcement officers, asking if we could help a woman who was illegally taken to Poland with her children. At that time, I had no experience in such matters, but I realized that this problem is a real disaster that cannot be ignored," says Nina. 

This incident was a turning point in her life, finally pushing her to fight human trafficking. Nina was able to find temporary housing, legal assistance and psychological support for the victim. These were the organization's first steps towards a deeper understanding of the problem.

Another woman was a victim of labor exploitation in Germany. She went there hoping for a job, but ended up on an isolated farm where she worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week. She did not have the opportunity to return because her documents were taken away from her. After the appeal of her friends, Nina was able to establish contact with international organizations that helped her return home.

Over time, Nina, together with her team, developed programs of psychological support and legal protection for victims. Their task was not only to help a person return home, but also to give them the opportunity to restore their lives, to find support and faith in themselves again. For many of the victims helped by "Volyn Perspectives", these programs were the only way to return to normal life. 

Taboos and legal challenges before trafficked victims

During the first years of her work, Nina often encountered cases when victims of human trafficking became disenfranchised before the authorities, especially if they did not have enough documents. Nina helped resolve such cases by consulting with human rights activists and lawyers, as well as contacting diplomatic missions of other countries. One such story was the fate of a young man who worked in Russia and was captured in an industrial plant, where he was forced to work without pay and under fear of physical violence. With the support of Nina and her organization, it was possible to find his relatives, provide him with assistance and return him to Ukraine.

One of the most painful cases that Nina had to work with was the story of a young girl who was deceived into taking her to Turkey. 

"She was promised a job as a waitress, and in the end, she was sexually exploited," says Nina. "Her family reached out to us, and we worked to bring her home. It was hard and time-consuming work, but we did everything to keep the girl safe again."

Upon her return, her organization provided her with psychological support and helped her get a vocational education. 

"Now she has a job, a family. She often says that we helped her start a new life, and for me, that is the greatest reward," Nina smiles. 

Another challenge for Nina was the creation of an informative base for Ukrainians to warn them about the danger. She began to conduct trainings for young people, distribute information materials, and organize lectures in schools and colleges. Nina understood that it was necessary to inform young people, who often found themselves in such situations due to their ignorance. She also involved law enforcement and civil society organizations, hoping that it would help build a sustainable support system for victims of human trafficking.

The organization has also handled several cases of child exploitation. Nina told how she helped a boy who was sold for begging and manual labor in Central Asia. He was resold several times, deceived with promises, and then bullied and forced to hard work. With the help of international structures, it was possible to establish contact with the boy's family, organize his return home and provide social assistance.

Over the years, Nina has created a network of connections with other NGOs and human rights foundations, which allow her to quickly respond to new challenges. She constantly organizes trainings for law enforcement officers, judges and social workers, explaining to them how to work with victims. Her experience has shown that cooperation with various institutions is key in the fight against human trafficking.

"Coming back is just the first step," she says. "We help with the documents, rehabilitation, help find a job or study. I want everyone who has experienced such horrors to know that their life is not over, that there are always people ready to help."

War and mass kidnappings 

"In recent years, we have assembled a whole network of assistance – thanks to ties with international organizations, such as the International Organization for Migration. They help our compatriots not only to return, but also to undergo a course of rehabilitation, psychological support, and receive medical care. Without this, many would not have been able to restore normal life after such a horror," says Nina.

Often, people are ashamed to admit that they have become victims of human trafficking, and sometimes they are afraid of retaliation from their abusers. 

"Ukrainians often think that they have to endure, they say, such is the fate. We try to convey to everyone that this is not normal, that they have the right to protection and assistance," Nina explains.

"We encourage people to speak up and report their experiences so we can fight the organized crime and punish the perpetrators," she continues, "Otherwise, many crimes would go unreported and unnoticed by the law enforcement or society as a whole. Yet, the trauma would remain."

Nina notes that the number of cases of labor exploitation has increased due to the Russian war, especially among women looking for work abroad as they fled the country. Women often lacked language skills or experience living in a foreign country, and were distraught by the war news from home, fearing for their lives and seeking any kind of contact in a new country. She recalls a case in which a group of Ukrainians were tricked into moving to Poland with the promise of legal employment, but there they were forced to work 14 hours a day without pay. Thanks to close cooperation with Polish law enforcement and support from the International Organization for Migration, "Volyn Perspectives" managed to bring these people home.

Another painful case for Nina was the fate of a teenage girl who was kidnapped in the Luhansk region and taken to Russia, where she was enslaved. After the intervention of international human rights organizations, the girl was released and returned home, but her psychological state required long-term therapy. 

"It's hard to listen to stories like this, but it's even harder to imagine what these people went through. That's why we do everything we can to help them come back to life," says Nina.

According to the Ukrainian government, Russia kidnapped at least 20,000 Ukrainian children from the occupied territories since 2022; although this number may be greater. Ukrainian NGOs and the government are trying to bring these children back, but the process is very slow, and many children may never be found and brought back. For Nina and her team, this is the most challenging part of her work.

The activist formulates her mission simply: "We are fighting for human dignity, for everyone's right to a safe and free life." She believes that Ukraine can and should become a country where such crimes will no longer go unpunished and where everyone can count on protection and support – even amid the war and kidnapping. 

In her quest to help others, Nina often feels tired of her own. 

"This year I will turn 64, but I am not taking a full vacation yet, because I understand that people need our help," she concludes, "Especially today, when so many Ukrainians are in difficult circumstances, we need to be there."

Anna Romandash