Following allegations that predatory men are using the Homes for Ukraine program to target the vulnerable, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told the Guardian “a more appropriate matching process” could be put in place to ensure that women and women with children fit families or couples. The proposal by the World Refugee Agency follows reports that Ukrainian refugees, mainly women and sometimes accompanied by children, are at risk of sexual exploitation in the United Kingdom. Under the Homes for Ukraine government program, British hosts must connect with Ukrainian refugees, leaving tens of thousands of people to turn to uncontrolled social media groups to connect. A government-sponsored matchmaking service run by the charity Reset offers to match UK hosts with refugees, but has been running for just over a week. Those wishing to move to the UK must have a sponsor before applying for a visa. In a statement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said adequate safeguards and anti-exploitation measures needed to be put in place, as well as adequate support for donors. “[The] The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) believes that a more appropriate matching process could be put in place to ensure that women and women with children fit in with families or couples rather than unmarried men. “Matching without proper supervision can increase the risks that women may face, in addition to the trauma of displacement, family separation and violence they have already experienced,” said a spokeswoman. Leading refugee charities have expressed concern about the Homes for Ukraine program in a letter to Michael Gove, the minister in charge of the program. Louise Calvey, head of protection for the charity Refugee Action, told the Observer she was in danger of becoming a “Tinder for sex traffickers”. A 32-year-old woman from Bakhmut, Ukraine, who was looking for a suitable person to fit in the UK, wrote that she had received suggestive messages from men on Facebook Messenger. “I was approached by an older man from London who said I should share a bedroom with him and asked if I was okay with it,” he told the Guardian in an email. The Sunday Times reported this week that a journalist posing as a 22-year-old Ukrainian from Kyiv found that within minutes of posting a message on the UK’s largest Facebook host group, it was flooded with inappropriate messages. Some men lied that they had several bedrooms in their single-family homes, while another suggested that they share a bed, writing: “I have a big bed. “We could sleep together.” Another sent a voice note saying, “I’m ready to help you and maybe you can help me too.” In a statement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also expressed concern about the consequences if the original UK host turns out to be a potential threat to refugee security and the minimum six-month duration of the Homes for Ukraine program. “The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) believes that appropriate training and information is needed to ensure that hosts make informed decisions when applying for sponsorship. “Housing a stranger in an extra bedroom for a long time is not, for some people, sustainable,” the spokesman said. There has been growing public outrage over how long Ukrainians have been forced to wait before being granted visas by the Home Office amid the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. Home Secretary Priti Patel apologized on Friday for the time it took for Ukrainian refugees to arrive in the UK under two visa programs, as figures showed that only 12,000 had arrived in Britain so far. Reports on Tuesday claimed that Gove had been accused of intimidating Home Office officials by Patel’s permanent secretary, Matthew Rycroft. Asked by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to intervene in the sexual exploitation of Ukrainian women, a government spokesman said: “Efforts to exploit vulnerable people are really disgusting – that is why we designed the program.” Homes for Ukraine “so that there are specific safety valves. including strong security and background checks on all donors, both by the Home Office and local authorities. “Boards must make at least one in-person visit to a sponsor property and after the arrival of the visitors, they have a duty to ensure that the visitor is safe and well. “We have also partnered with the charity Reset Communities and Refugees to fund and provide a matching service for sponsors and refugees to ensure that the fights that take place are appropriate, safe and successful. “This service will check the suitability, assess the needs and provide training to the sponsors to ensure that they can support the people they host.” Asked to confirm or deny whether there had been a complaint that Gove had intimidated staff, the spokesman added: “Ukrainians find security in the UK.”
