A charity has claimed they are receiving direct reports from young Ukrainian women fleeing Russia’s invasion who say Ukraine sponsors have offered them accommodation with the expectation of sex.
Ukrainian women are being offered free homes under the government’s hosting scheme by men hoping to exploit them for sex, a refugee charity has claimed.
Charity Positive Action in Housing said it had received reports from young women fleeing the war who claimed they were contacted by registered Homes for Ukraine sponsors expecting sex in exchange for rooms.
Read More: Four million Ukrainian refugees flee war
It has voiced serious concerns about “unsafe situations on an industrial scale”. Glasgow Live reports.
Last week, 16 refugee and anti-trafficking organizations penned a letter to community’s secretary Michael Gove warning of the scheme’s insufficient safeguards for women and children seeking sanctuary in the UK.
In one case, it said a man contacted a young woman who was seeking information about the programme on social media on 14 March, four days before applications opened. He then asked her to send photos of herself.
He allegedly told her: “Phase One is open on Friday. There are some people who are interested in coming to my house. So I need to make a decision. I am a doctor and live alone in a big house.”
He is understood to have shared photos of himself sitting in first class on a plane, as well as a picture of his sports car and rooms in a luxury house with a hot tub.
The woman declined and responded: “I’ll probably use the official application, as I don’t trust anyone in such a situation coming to a foreign country… I’m not looking for dating. And I know what some people use it for, I’m also not into some kind of escort.”
He explained: “I am doing this through the official route. I have registered and I can nominate one person.”
The young woman then told him she was fleeing with her mother, after which he declined to help.
Refugee homelessness charity Positive Action in Housing launched Room for Refugees in 2002, the longest established refugee hosting programme in the UK.
The charity said they are currently arranging sponsors for 593 Ukrainian families and young people, around 300 in war zones and three people under 21.
Director Robina Qureshi said: “We are right now observing safeguarding breaches and unsafe situations on an industrial scale as a result of the Homes for Refugees Scheme.
“We are worried that Ukrainian refugees, especially children and young people as young as 13, confuse the official registered email from Homes for Ukrainians sent to those who sign up to the government register, and think the “sponsor” is legitimate and cleared.”
