On behalf of the RENATE Working Board, Core Group, and Co-Presidents, we are pleased to share with you the RENATE Annual Report for 2024.

This report offers a snapshot of the diverse and meaningful work taking place across the RENATE Network during what has been yet another action-packed year. From powerful new film launches and the release of our Shelters & Safe Housesbooklet, to the unveiling of the Law Task Group’s groundbreaking research, 2024/25 has seen an extraordinary breadth of activity.

Highlights from the year include:

• The publication of the research report “Legal Practitioners’ Work with Victims of Human Trafficking: Training Required and Resources Available” launched on 4 July, covering five countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
• Continued representation at the Council of Europe through the Conference of INGOs.
• Participation in CSW68 via an online webinar event.
• Multiple training events and spiritual retreats for RENATE members.
• The strengthening of survivor leadership through new empowerment programmes.
• Deepening collaboration with our global partners, including Talitha Kum and the UISG.
• Ongoing Working Board and Task Group meetings, as well as countless national and international collaborations across the network.

All this work is being carried out against the backdrop of increasing global unrest and the evolving, complex nature of human trafficking.

We invite you to read the full Annual Report to gain insight into the scale and impact of your contributions. The report is a testament to the commitment and resilience of each and every member of the RENATE network. While it offers a glimpse into the year’s work, much more is regularly featured on our website at www.renate-europe.net, in our Quarterly Newsletters, and other communications, thanks to the steady stream of updates and content shared by you, our members.

Most of all, it is you, in your presence, passion, and tireless dedication, who best represent the heart of RENATE’s mission.

With heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you.

Caritas Ukraine, Caritas Moldova and Caritas Romania launched new cross border project aimed to
assist Ukrainian refugees, potential victims of human trafficking and returnees.

The goal of this project is to mitigate the negative effects of the war on the vulnerable population
of Ukraine in transit and reduce the negative trends of human trafficking in Ukraine, Romania and Moldova.

Despite on-going war in Ukraine there is a tendency to return to Ukraine of Ukrainian citizens who
left the country at the beginning of war, especially in Romania and Moldova. Monitoring data of Caritas
Romania shows that only in the period April-September 2024 27% of the beneficiaries of Caritas programs left the country, most of them back to Ukraine (while we estimate that more or less the same number of new refugees arrived in Romania).

According to recent studies published by IOM and UNHCR, Ukrainian refugees in Moldova prefer
constant short visits to their home country rather than for permanent return; thus, only a minority have
returned voluntarily to Ukraine. Due to its proximity, Moldova is considered as a transit or temporary host
country. Refugees who settled in Moldova since the start of the war express their intention to return once
it is safe and conditions are improved in Ukraine. Moldova was facing already economic challenges even
before the war and the level of emigration was high among its own population. This means that socio-
economic integration opportunities are limited for Ukrainians. These challenges are determining refugees
to consider secondary migration to other EU countries while others hope for an eventual return to Ukraine.

Significant war-related population displacement has increased the risks of human trafficking, as
noted in a report by the Office of Monitoring and Combating Human Trafficking at the US Embassy in
Ukraine. Human traffickers tried to exploit refugees at border crossing points and transit centers.
The war and its economic impact increased the individual vulnerability to human trafficking even of
those Ukrainians who did not become displaced persons. One of the surveys for 2022 showed that more
than half of Ukrainians are at risk of exploitation and are ready to accept risky job offers that can lead to
exploitation. This group includes Ukrainian men, as well as, increasingly, educated Ukrainians who want to provide for their needs. The recruitment of Ukrainian women and girls for sexual exploitation abroad has become more frequent.

Across Europe, Ukrainian refugees are at risk of forced labour, particularly in domestic work,
childcare and seasonal agricultural work, although only a few confirmed cases of trafficking have come to light. There are also many signs indicating that large numbers of refugees from Ukraine are working in their host countries without legal work contracts, opening doors to abuse, very low salaries not respecting legal minimum salaries and exclusion from legal and social protection.

Ukrainian refugees often cross borders uninformed of their destination or rights. Cross-border
cooperation allows for harmonized potential victim identification, safe return, and support services.
In order to mitigate negative consequences of war for the vulnerable population of Ukraine in
transit, to influence negative tendencies of human trafficking in Ukraine, Romania and Moldova, Caritas
Ukraine, Caritas Romania and Caritas Moldova are committed to work together on development of joint
program activities.

Prepared by Natalia Holynska,
project manager of cross border project
Caritas Ukraine
nholynska@caritas.ua
https://caritas.ua/

RENATE is proud to officially launch our Shelters and Safe Houses Booklet, a comprehensive resource highlighting the vital work being carried out across our network. This booklet provides an in-depth look at the nine active shelters and safe houses that are part of the RENATE network, offering a glimpse into the transformative and life-saving support being provided to those in need.

This launch follows the in-person unveiling at the 2024 RENATE Working Board Meeting in Athens, Greece, where members gathered online and in-person to discuss and celebrate the extraordinary efforts of our shelters and safe houses. Now, we are delighted to share this invaluable resource with our wider network and beyond.

Through these pages, you will witness the dedication, resilience, and compassion that define RENATE’s mission in providing safe spaces for survivors of human trafficking and exploitation. Each shelter and safe house plays a crucial role in offering protection, healing, and empowerment, helping individuals reclaim their dignity and rebuild their lives.

We warmly invite you to explore the booklet, share it widely, and help us amplify the impact of this work. If you feel moved by the stories and efforts detailed within, we encourage you to make a donation—100% of which will go directly to supporting the RENATE shelters and safe houses. More details on how to contribute can be found at the end of the booklet.

We are thrilled to launch this initiative and look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you for your continued support in our collective mission to bring hope and safety to those who need it most.

In June 2025 Caritas Ukraine summarizes results of the annual project “Prevention, protection and
assistance to vulnerable survivors of human trafficking in Ukraine, 2024-2025” supported by CAFOD, Caritas Spain and Caritas Korea. The quantitative results speak for themselves:

219 potential victims of human trafficking were screened by Caritas workers;

• 157 of them were identified as survivors and included into the project;
• They received 288 psychological / psychotherapeutic services, 282 different other services, 10
  grants for micro-business and/or medical treatment;
• 218 preventive and informational activities, 150 outreach activities, 32 advocacy events at national
  and international level, 29 raising awareness events were held;

But behind the numbers there are real stories of people who were trafficked and exploited and with the
assistance of Caritas could restart their lives. Here are some stories of Caritas Ukraine’s beneficiaries.

Galya (born in 2011) and Sofia (born in 2013) are sisters. After their parents divorced in 2019, the
girls lived with their grandparents in the village in Mykolaiv region. Their mother remarried and lived with
her new husband in the city of Voznesensk. She often took her daughters to her home, bought them
sweets, and indulged their every whim.

Taking advantage of the children’s trust and gratitude, the mother and stepfather photographed the girls naked and also filmed pornographic videos. They distributed these videos by sending them to another people via Internet. The stepfather committed sexual acts against one of his stepdaughters in the presence and with the participation of his wife, who filmed the acts. The filmed
content, which contained child pornography, was then distributed on the Internet.

The video footage was discovered in November 2023 by a senior inspector of the Kyiv Regional
Department of Internal Affairs while monitoring the web application “IcacCops” (used to prevent
cybercrimes against children). After identifying children in the video, a criminal case was opened against
their mother and stepfather. In December 2024, the Voznesensk City District Court of the Mykolaiv region sentenced the two defendants to 15 years in prison for producing and distributing child pornography, child molestation, rape, by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, and human trafficking.

The sisters currently live with their father, his common-law wife, and three other children in the
village. The family is poor, and the father is renovating the old house with his own hands, trying to make
the children comfortable. There is no central water supply in the village, so water has to be brought in. The family cannot afford to drill a well, so they cannot grow vegetables or run a household. They have to buy all the food for their large family.

The girls were referred to Caritas Odesa at the end of March 2025 by the officials of Mykolaiv
Regional State Administration. In April of 2025, the girls were granted the status of victims of human
trafficking.

After establishing contact with the father and assessing the needs of the children and their family,
comprehensive assistance was provided to them as part of the project. The girls received psychological
counseling, counseling and coaching was also provided to their father. Tablets and other school equipment were purchased for the sisters to improve their access to online education (during times of unrest and heavy shelling). The family was also provided with cleaning and hygiene products.

After getting married, Oleg couldn’t find a steady job for a long time, only odd jobs. Due to his
instability, he began to abuse alcohol. They didn’t have children, so his wife packed her things and left him.

Oleg didn’t know what to do, and because of this addiction, vulnerability and instability, he ended up in
prison. After his release from prison, he moved in with his sister. But his drinking habit didn’t go away, so
his sister was always arguing with him. Oleg packed his things and left for the capital.

In October 2024, while at the train station in Kyiv, Oleg accepted an offer from a stranger named
Alexander. The man offered Oleg treatment for alcohol addiction at a “rehabilitation center” in Kyiv region. The center was known for providing free accommodation and meals. Oleg got into Alexander’s car and they drove off. They didn’t drive for long, about an hour. When the man got out of the car, he saw a two-story building with a large fence. Instead of the promised treatment, the man and other men who were already there were locked up in a rented house – a “rehabilitation center” – where their phones, documents, and other valuables were taken away. Oleg lived in unsanitary conditions (in a basement).

There were 31 people living in the premises, 25 men and 6 women. Every day, a bus arrived and took the men to work. They were forced to work on construction sites for 10-11 hours a day. In the evening, they were picked up from the site and taken back to the center, and so it went every day. The women who were there were forced to clean the house and cook meals for the center’s staff using expired food products.

The men were paid 100 hryvnia on weekdays and 200 hryvnia (less than 5 Euro) on weekends for their work. Oleg was allowed to keep 100-200 hryvnia, depending on the day of the week.

When Oleg and other victims attempted to escape, they were subjected to physical and
psychological violence, false promises and deception, deprivation of freedom of movement, and denial of access to medical care. If a man did not obey, he was deprived of food. At the center, Oleg was made
addicted to psychotropic drugs.

Law enforcement agencies and police exposed this criminal group and released the man and other
survivors. Colleagues from Caritas Kyiv were engaged to this raid and referred Oleg to Caritas Drohobych
center. Oleg officially received the status of a victim of human trafficking from the state.

Currently, Caritas takes care and treats Oleg, taking into account his desire to receive rehabilitation from alcohol and drugs. The charitable foundation helped him to settle at Caritas rehabilitation center, where he is undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. He visits a therapist and receives psychological
counseling. Oleg is very satisfied with the treatment and is already on the mend. Now the man has new goals in his life and desire to live a full and happy life.

Prepared by Natalia Holynska,
Caritas Ukraine counter trafficking project manager
https://caritas.ua/