A young refugee from Ukraine and a dog wait in the ticket hall of the railwlay station in Przemysl, eastern Poland
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)The UN Refugee Agency has urged the British government to ensure female Ukrainian refugees are not paired with British single men over safety fears.
It follows reports predatory men ar exploiting the Homes for Ukraine scheme which allows Britons to take in a refugee fleeing Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Anyone with a room or home available for at least six months can offer it to a Ukrainian individual or a family, though those offering to host will be vetted and Ukrainian applicants will undergo security checks.
In a statement, the agency asked ministers to put a “more appropriate” process in place to protect vulnerable refugees from exploitation.
“UNHCR believes that a more appropriate matching process could be put in place by ensuring that women and women with children are matched with families or couples, rather than with single men,” they said.
“Matching done without the appropriate oversight may lead to increasing the risks women may face, in addition to the trauma of displacement, family separation and violence already experienced.”
Levelling up secretary Michael Gove last month said refugees would be able to find a host using social media despite warnings they could be used by predators.
Last week, the Sunday Times revealed a number of male hosts had attempted to make sexual advances towards female Ukrainian refugees.
One woman in her twenties had been put off after the man set to host her began asking whether she had a boyfriend, according to the newspaper.
Last week councils sounded the alarm over a “concerning increase” in Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK and becoming homeless due to relationship breakdowns with their sponsors and problems accessing accommodation.
Responding to the UN, a government spokesperson said the scheme had “specific safeguards” in place with “robust security and background checks” carried out on all sponsors.
They also noted councils were obligated to make at last one in-person visit to a sponsor’s property following a guest’s arrival to ensure their safety.
“Humanitarian schemes set up in record time by the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities working closely together are helping thousands of Ukrainians find safety in the UK,” they added.
Around 4.7 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in late February.
