What danger awaits refugees from Ukraine in Germany | Culture and lifestyle in Germany and Europe | DW
March 12, 2022
At Berlin Central Station, a 55-year-old man offers young women from Ukraine a ride to Hamburg. However, he is known to the police as a person prone to sexual harassment. A 29-year-old man and his 21-year-old friend try to strike up a conversation with girls who have arrived alone or with small children. Two other men, aged 50 and 53, work as volunteers and occasionally offer money to young women if they agree to go to their homes.
“Unfortunately, there are men who want to take advantage of the desperation and plight of the arriving refugees. Their behavior is so suspicious that they attract the attention of both volunteers and police officers serving at the station. Several dozen such attempts have already been foiled, but so far no crimes have been sexually motivated is not registered,” a federal police spokesman told DW.
A huge wave of solidarity and readiness to help Ukrainian refugees swept through Germany, the number of which has already reached almost 110 thousand people. This situation, unfortunately, is being exploited by human traffickers. The daily chaos at Berlin Central Station and other major cities creates ideal conditions for them to lure women into their homes for the purpose of sexual harassment.
“We were contacted by a frightened Ukrainian woman who ran into such men. The police had to escort them out of the station building with a warning that they would have to be held administratively liable if they happened again. We now have a huge number of people who want to sincerely help refugees, but among them there are those who have completely different intentions,” the police spokesman emphasizes.
Registration and explanatory work as counteraction
Volunteers meeting refugees at train stations report having to intervene more than once when they notice suspicious men trying to offer their services to single women. Therefore, the police posted a warning on social networks, including in Ukrainian, Russian and English. In addition, the police inform volunteers and volunteers working at stations during morning meetings about the existing danger and ask them to be vigilant. And if necessary, immediately seek help from the police. But is all this enough to protect the arriving Ukrainian women and youth?“It would be better if those who are ready to host single Ukrainian women or with small children would register with us,” says social educator Monika Cissek-Evans. “Unfortunately, some people are disguised as volunteers are trying to mislead women who find themselves in an unfamiliar place and show confusion. Refugees should not blindly trust not only the offers of dubious men, but also women who may work on orders or instructions from human traffickers.
Monika Ziessek-Evans set up the “Jadwiga” counseling center in Munich for victims of human trafficking more than 20 years ago. The Polish name of the center was not chosen by chance, because mostly women from Eastern Europe fall into the networks of criminals. Monika and her team have published leaflets in Ukrainian, which are distributed at train stations where refugees arrive.
“The leaflets tell people not to let go of their passports and ID cards. Keep their phones with them at all times. They are advised to take pictures of car license plates before getting into them. Refugees should be asked to show ID of those who offer them rooms or apartments, write down their names and addresses. This is a normal procedure in such situations, and people with good intentions will not hide their data. We urge in these leaflets to be careful if someone immediately promises to help with money, “explains Monika Cissek-Evans.
Pimps trying to cash in on refugees
If anyone can best explain how quickly women can find themselves in forced prostitution networks, it’s Huschke Mau. The writer and activist, whose real name is hidden under a pseudonym, was herself a prostitute for ten years and wrote an autobiographical book. The name symbolizes her fight against human trafficking: “Entmenschlicht – warum wir Prostitution abschaffen müssen”, which can be translated into Russian as – “Dehumanization: why we must end prostitution”.Hushke Mau is a pseudonym for a writer and activist who knows about prostitution from personal experience.
“Every day in Germany, just over one million men use the services of prostitutes. The country leads the European Union in human trafficking. We are the brothel of Europe. And we should be ashamed of it. Human traffickers and pimps approach Ukrainian women on the platform because they know that a lot of money can be made from refugees,” emphasizes Hushke Mau.
On Twitter and in special forums for men who use the services of prostitutes, posts have already appeared about new “Ukrainian prostitutes” who, they say, will soon replenish brothels, some even share their sexual fantasies.
“A voluntary assistant told me that a refugee from Ukraine did not even dare to drink something on the platform, because she was afraid: what if sleeping pills were mixed in the drink and she could end up in a brothel. Soon we will see that there will be a lot of Ukrainian women in them. And it’s a shame,” Hushke Mau warns. “Many people really want to sincerely help, but Ukrainian women should be careful and proceed from the fact that there may well be pimps among the” helpers “, Hushke Mau warns. The activist fears that after the terrible experiences during the war in Ukraine, refugees who arrive alone may experience additional mental and emotional trauma, finding themselves in the networks of intruders.
