Israeli neglect forces Ukrainian refugees into trafficking
3 Min Read
The US has put "Israel" on its list of countries that do not meet the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000's minimum standards.
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Ukrainians disembark from a special flight to "Israel" from Romania upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport, on March 8, 2022. (AP)
The Israeli occupation's handling of Ukrainian refugees fleeing war is rendering them more vulnerable to human trafficking, something the Biden administration cautioned on Thursday.
The US State Department's annual report on human trafficking details how nearly 14,000 Ukrainian refugees ineligible for admission under the Law of Return landed in "Israel" as of March 2023.
In March, Israeli occupation minister Ayelet Shaked announced that there will be a limit to the number of non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees, explaining that "Israel" will host, temporarily, 20,000 Ukrainian citizens who were already in "Israel" before the war and will be hosting an additional 5,000, while Israelis hosting non-Jewish Ukrainians will have to pay a $3,000 fee to the government.
The 5,000 non-Ukrainian Jews will receive a three-month temporary visa - if the situation in Ukraine does not improve by then, they will be allowed to work.
See more: "Israel" says NO for Palestinians who wish to travel abroad while welcoming Ukrainians
According to the report, "Most of this population arrived on tourist visas which have been regularly renewed and are working under a 'non-enforcement' government policy. NGOs reported this unstable situation and unclear work permit policy has increased the vulnerability of this population to sex and labor trafficking."
Following concerns from Ukraine's government about "Israel"s handling of refugees seeking to enter the country, "Israel" decided to prolong the work of the agency supporting Ukrainian migrants for an additional year. Mathijs Le Rutte, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees representative in "Israel", recently told Haaretz that "Israel"'s inconsistent treatment of Ukrainian refugees causes numerous challenges and prohibits them from gaining fundamental rights and living in dignity.
Additionally, the US state department added the occupation to its list of countries that do not fully meet the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000's minimum standard on the grounds that "Israel" fails to meet the standard in many areas.
Not only was "Israel" failing to properly hold traffickers accountable, but its government also did not investigate labor trafficking cases once referred by NGOs. Furthermore, rather than work on finding victims, the occupation relied on NGOs to do the job.
The report details that "NGOs continued to report that the government’s high evidentiary standard to recognize victims discouraged victims from seeking government assistance."
It also explained that "Israel"s oversight of "foreign labor recruitment outside of bilateral work agreements (BWAs), including through foreign contracting companies ('Hevrot Bitzua'), was inconsistent and inadequate to prevent forced labor."
In 2022, "Israel" was the subject of 25 investigations relating to human trafficking, two of sexual exploitation, four involving slavery, 19 cases regarding children being sexually exploited, and 112 crimes related to sex trafficking, an increase from 2021.
The US State Department also expressed worry over the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority's policy, which limits asylum applicants' employment in 17 locations. According to human rights organizations, the execution of this system would increase the vulnerability of refugees and asylum seekers, rendering them more vulnerable to trafficking.
