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The representative of Caritas Ukraine and RENATE Natalia Holynska took part in the
Regional Expert Group Meeting (REGM) in Bucharest, Romania, on 23-24 April 2025. The subject
of the conference was “Impact of the War in Ukraine on Human Trafficking in South-Eastern
Europe, with Focus on Illegal Adoption and Surrogacy Exploitation”. It was held by the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the National Agency Against
Trafficking in Persons (ANITP) within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Romana and the Ministry
of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.
Ms. Nataliya Holynska, Project Manager of Caritas, Ukraine, introduced her intervention by
presentation of a short semi-documentary film “Fragile Life”, depicting real cases of human
trafficking during wartime, including the trafficking of a boy for forced adoption
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a89EDAtNEYs. Ms Holynska then proceeded with a set of
recommendations for improving responses to human trafficking.
In conclusion, she highlighted the need to address emerging challenges of the 21st century, such as
artificial intelligence, armed conflicts, climate changes, and migration crises, by suggesting
potential amendments to the Palermo Protocol to better reflect contemporary trafficking realities.
At the end of her presentation, she thanked participants for their attention and expressed
hope that these proposals would contribute to strengthening anti-trafficking efforts globally.
First, she called for the improvement of the international referral mechanism, urging that it should
encompass non-EU countries, particularly Ukraine.
Second, Ms. Holynska proposed conducting new research studies, noting that while previous
UNODC research was valuable, updated studies focusing on Ukraine and neighbouring countries
such as Romania, Moldova, and Poland are urgently needed, especially concerning surrogacy-
related risks and consequences.
Further she recommended launching public awareness campaigns to sensitize communities about
the dangers of surrogacy, particularly in light of the new EU Directive.
Ms. Holynska stressed the importance of enhancing proactive screening and identification of
trafficking victims, not only for sexual exploitation but also for labor exploitation, domestic
servitude, criminal activities, and mixed forms of exploitation, which are currently prevalent in
Ukraine.