Irish men are using escort websites to fulfil their “war-inspired fantasies” and paying for sex with Ukrainian refugees, an expert has warned.
Anti-trafficking expert Valiant Richey, of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, said there has been increased demand online from men who want to pay for sex with Ukrainian women and girls.
Mr Richey said the war is being exploited by human traffickers as there is a mass movement of vulnerable Ukrainian women and girls across Europe while their male relatives stay back to fight on the frontline.
He said there was a “significant spike” in online searches “related to buying sex from Ukrainian women” across Europe.
Speaking at the Beyond Exploitation webinar, he said: “In some countries the spike was as much as 600%. There was an immediate interest in exploiting them.
"In other words, one of the early and measurable reactions in Europe to the crisis were attempts by men to identify and have sex with women and girls fleeing the conflict.
“The influx of vulnerable women and girls into western Europe led to an immediate increase in interest by men in exploiting them.
"Too often efforts are only focused on victim identification or the prosecution of traffickers. If we don’t address demand, the problem will never, never stop.”
Mr Richey said that the increased demand shown by men to have sex with Ukrainian women is serving as a strong incentive for human traffickers to exploit refugees.
He added: “We are already seeing the market responding.
"For example, one of Ireland’s largest escort websites offered men the opportunity to live out their ‘war-inspired fantasies’ with Ukrainian women."
He also warned that people using informal arrangements on social networks to house refugees could also leave women and girls vulnerable to exploitation.
The OSCE recommends a formal registration system, where those offering accommodation could be vetted, to protect Ukrainian refugees.
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