Violence and exploitation of Ukrainian refugee women in EU countries: results of the FRA report
During the war, more than 2.5 million women and girls fled Ukraine to the European Union, receiving temporary protection, including the right to reside and work. Despite the protection provided, a significant number of refugee women face physical and sexual violence, verbal abuse, as well as discrimination based on language and potentially exploitative offers in the areas of work and housing. The assessment of these phenomena and the scope of the problems based on the report of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) allows us to understand the scale of violations of women’s rights during resettlement and integration in host countries.
Key data and the scale of the problem
Report The FRA “In search of safety from war – violence and violations of women’s rights from Ukraine” is based on interviews with 1,223 women who left Ukraine after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, collected between March and June 2024 in the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland. Data shows that every fourth woman has experienced physical or sexual violence since the beginning of the war, and half of those surveyed have been physically or verbally attacked in EU countries, in particular for speaking Ukrainian.
At the same time, a tenth of the women surveyed were interrogated by Russian soldiers during the occupation, among whom 51% experienced physical humiliation and 29% – sexual. More than half of the respondents reported sexual harassment during the war, and 23% said they had been sexually harassed online.
Problems with housing and labor exploitation
The report also highlights significant difficulties in housing and employment. One in ten respondents did not feel safe in their homes, and 79% reported problems with access to housing. In addition, 27% of women were unable to access mental health services to overcome war trauma, despite formal rights to social support.
Among working Ukrainian refugee women, 36% worked without a signed employment contract, and 24% received low wages or no wages at all. At the same time, every fourth woman was faced with potentially exploitative offers of housing, transport or work, which created additional risks to their safety and well-being.
Insufficient reporting and seeking help
Statistics also indicate a low level of reporting of violence and harassment: only 3% of affected women reported incidents to organizations providing assistance to Ukrainians, and the same number contacted victim support services.
In total, only 13% of respondents reported the most serious cases of violence to the police in EU countries. Such low reporting highlights the difficulty of accessing effective assistance and the fear of victims of bureaucratic procedures or social stigma.
FRA Director Sirpa Rautió stressed that despite the protection provided by the EU, many Ukrainian women remain in a vulnerable position. She stressed the need for EU countries to provide women with effective protection, support and redress for their violated rights, allowing them to rebuild their lives safely. The FRA report also demonstrates that the provision of legal status and temporary housing does not automatically guarantee a sense of security, and the lack of access to information, social services and psychological support significantly increases the risks of violence and exploitation.
