How Is Switzerland Seeking To Protect Ukrainian Refugees From Exploitation?

The 2022 Ukrainian refugee crisis is more bitter than you and I know. Not since the Second World War has the world come to witness such a mass movement of a people as what is currently on display in the case of the Ukrainian refugees.

The comfort of their homes long gone, the place with which there was familiarity snatched away from them, walking miles and miles barefoot with bruised and battered bodies, 2022 has sunken the happiness of the Ukrainians.

What’s not known is when might the Russian aggression come to a halt. What is known, as a matter of fact, is that countless Ukrainians have left the place they called home and have already moved to far away parts of Europe.

Countries like Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia have all become new homes for the displaced belonging originally to Ukraine. But there’s also a country that has fast emerged a brand new outlet for the Ukrainian refugees.

And that country is Switzerland, a beacon of beauty for the wider world and clearly, among the most travelled (or visited) countries on the face of the earth. Where current numbers stand, then no fewer than 28,000 lives fleeing the war in Ukraine have already reached Switzerland and more are expected in the days to come.

On the part of the those who need to begin a new chapter in life, Switzerland for its generic standing of neutrality, is among the safest places on the face of the earth to be in. But on its part, Switzerland is taking quite a few precautions so as to ensure that those who arrive in the Swiss domicile, aren’t taken for granted and aren’t, therefore, subjected to injustices, malpractices and heinous crimes.

Which is why Switzerland recently began the “Information Campaign,” that outlines a whole list of information areas using which Ukrainian refugees’ lives can be safeguarded and one can continue to live in the picturesque central European country with amity and tranquility.

In this regard, the Swiss Migration Office, has issued guidelines that can enable Ukrainian refugees to protect themselves from falling prey to human trafficking.

That being said, if you wish to know what clear cheques and balances have been issued in lines with the Information Campaign, then the following were furnished on the website of the State Secretariat for Migration SEM:

• Be wary of overly generous offers of assistance or employment.
• Never give your travel documents to anyone other than the Swiss authorities.
• Keep a photo of your identity document on your cell phone and send a copy to a friend and/or family member.
• Always carry the contact information of trusted persons on you who can help you in Switzerland in case you lose your cell phone or personal belongings.
• Share your whereabouts and your trips/movements with your friends and/or family.
• Before getting into a vehicle, take a photo of the license plate and send it to your friends and/or family. Do not get into the vehicle if the driver prohibits you from taking a photo.
• Leave your accommodation if you do not feel safe there and ask for help immediately

To conclude, it goes without saying that in this age, human trafficking continues to be an abominable evil that prevails by masquerading itself in various avatars. Therefore it is but necessary to press the panic button and save oneself from falling into its devilish pit.