Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia, Europol has recorded around 60 signals of possible human trafficking, with the victims identified as Ukrainian nationals.

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"According to Europol, since the beginning of the full-scale occupation, about 60 signals of possible human trafficking with Ukrainian victims have been registered. These signals have come through Europol channels, especially from Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Latvia, Romania, Poland, the Netherlands and Germany, all this information is being checked and investigated and not all of it has been confirmed," said Pavlichenko.

"The National Police of Ukraine cooperates with Europol and Interpol and certain information is exchanged through the channels available in these organizations. Such data also comes to the Ukrainian police through these channels," said the deputy minister.

Pavlichenko noted that sometimes Ukrainians living abroad apply to diplomatic missions, and the information is sent by diplomatic missions to the National Police of Ukraine for verification.

"When our citizens report to the local police of another country that they have been trafficked, we may not receive this information because it remains with the law enforcement agencies of the country where the person is located," she explained.

The deputy minister pointed out that everything that is carried out on the territory of other states is under the jurisdiction of the police of a certain country.

"For this reason, citizens living abroad, in the first place, seek help from the police of the country where they are currently located, if they have suffered from some crimes. It is important to understand that information about a victim of human trafficking is protected by the state where this data is reported," explained Pavlichenko.

That is, according to her, other countries have their own laws that protect this information from distribution, and there is a certain degree of confidentiality.

"Furthermore, if an individual has already been identified as a victim in a criminal case, this information is usually kept confidential during the investigation. This should also be taken into account," the deputy minister explained.

As reported, the General Prosecutor's Office revealed on July 30 that in 2024, 73 proceedings related to human trafficking were registered./ Ukrinform