Refugees: Ukraine

(asked on 25th May 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) what steps her Department is taking to prevent the exploitation of Ukrainian refugees being facilitated on social media sites and (b) what discussions her Department has had with social media companies regarding this issue.


Answered by
Kevin Foster Portrait
Kevin Foster
This question was answered on 28th June 2022

The Homes for Ukraine is a unique scheme which has been set up specifically to support those escaping the conflict in Ukraine who are not able to rely on family support. The scheme cannot be directly accessed through social media sites.

To access the scheme the sponsor and/or their prospective guest must apply for visas through the Home Office run website. This action initiates the first stage in the multi-layered safeguarding defence system which has been built into the scheme. Neither Facebook nor any other social media platforms are part of the scheme design.

The Government is committed to tackling all forms of exploitation, including those facilitated online by organised crime groups and we will continue to clamp down on those who exploit vulnerable people while providing tailored support for victims to help their recovery.

We are working both domestically and internationally to minimise the risk of trafficking and exploitation to the Ukrainian people through the routes they take to the UK and once they arrive here.

To address the domestic risk, we are working with the Department for Housing, Levelling Up and Communities and the NCA to ensure that law enforcement bodies are linked into the scheme to assess potential risks around those looking to exploit the vulnerable and assist with any safeguarding enquiries and that local authorities are aware of who to work with, on the ground, to help mitigate those risks.

To address the international risk, we are providing funding, improving agency capability and pivoting our existing projects in neighbouring countries.

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