Economic Empowerment Helps Former Victims of Trafficking Reintegrate Into Ukrainian Society
Maryna* runs a small quail egg business in Ukraine. She cares for around 100 of the birds, and has plans to expand the business gradually. The business has given Maryna something to work towards, a chance to reintegrate Ukrainian society and hope, after facing a harrowing ordeal at the hands of human traffickers.
Maryna and her husband worked as warehouse sorters at a market in a Ukrainian town. The couple dreamt of starting their own agricultural business, but didn’t have enough money to invest in it. At the end of June 2015, a colleague introduced them to two job brokers who interested in hiring a brigade of labourers for harvesting in Russia. They said that the work wouldn’t be difficult — gathering tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in fields and in greenhouses, for a salary of roughly USD 800 and compensation for accommodation and travel. Many other market workers and their family members were planning to go, so Maryna and her husband decided to join them.
After the labourers arrived at the destination in Russia, employers took away their passports for registration purposes. Maryna and others were settled in old barracks which looked more like ruins: unsanitary conditions, clay walls and a ceiling covered simply with tarpaulins. The working day began at 5am and ended at 10pm. The workers were expected not only to collect vegetables, but also to process them with chemicals, pull out weeds and more. The group worked without time off on weekends, even when the temperature was above 40 degrees Celsius. The only food they received was instant porridge or rotten vegetables.
At the end of the first month, when the workers didn’t get any money for their hard work in such poor conditions, they started to argue with the employers and got severely beaten by the guards who secured the territory. They found out that they were bought from a job broker and were threatened with punishment if they tried to escape or contact the police. Maryna got sick and couldn’t work; she was beaten for this. Her husband has his arm broken by the guards. When a new group of workers arrived, after three months of exploitation, Maryna and others were taken to the train station and left there, threatened against turning to the authorities. They managed to return home and ask their colleagues at the market about the recruiter, but no one gave them any information.
IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and its regional partners identified Maryna and her husband as Victims of Trafficking (VoTs) in 2017 and provided them with necessary comprehensive rehabilitation support over several years. They took part in an IOM Reintegration Programme through which they received psychological counselling and direct assistance that helped them to return to their normal lives and start planning their professional activities.
In 2018 Maryna was also told about an opportunity to develop her business skills and receive a grant to purchase equipment, enlarge her small household and turn it into a profitable micro-enterprise. IOM’s Economic Empowerment Programme assists former VoTs with sustainable reintegration through self-employment opportunities. The programme trains trafficking survivors in business and career development and provides self-employment grants for those who develop and successfully defend a business plan after participation in the training.
The training programme covers numerous topics and often takes place in a vibrant atmosphere where people different backgrounds and professional experience convene to learn, get new equipment, exchange views and network in search of potential partnerships. An experienced business trainer guides the participants through different modes of interaction — team work, business games, presentations, discussions.
During the business training under the Economic Empowerment Programme, Maryna was one of the most active participants. She listened carefully, took notes, led her team, and was always willing to make presentations and share her experiences.
“The training itself is already an incredible opportunity to regain confidence in yourself and your capability to be successfully self-employed,” Maryna said of her experience. “I doubt that I could afford to take such a high-quality training in some business academy due to its high cost and I am really grateful for that.”
When it was her turn to present her business idea to the group Maryna described her current household — she told her colleagues about the quails and her plans to eventually have at least 500 birds with the grant support and through her own contributions. Maryna describes her own speciality — natural feed additives — which improve the gustatory characteristics of eggs and meat. She is constantly researching the modern techniques of quail breeding and the best international practices.
Thanks to the grant Maryna will receive the necessary equipment, quails for breeding and their feed. The training gave her the necessary skills to evaluate her competitors in the region, search for new ways to distribute her produce and to use social networks for advertising. The training also served as a great source of inspiration; the quail market in Ukraine is underdeveloped and the demand is greater than the supply, so Maryna now sees prospects for her self-employment activities.
*Name was changed.
In 2018, the Economic Empowerment Programme of IOM Ukraine is implemented with the generous support of the Norway MFA, USAID and Global Affairs Canada. The programme offers economic reintegration opportunities to over 100 trafficking survivors. It also offers self-employment and business development training to motivated VoTs, supporting them in the development of business plans and facilitating their implementation through the provision of grants as well as information support and mentoring from IOM experts.
This story was written by Natalia Sniehur, Counter Trafficking Programme Assistant and IOM Ukraine. Ms. Sniehur contributes to economic empowerment programmes for former VoTs, which provide support for their self-employment activities and development of micro-enterprises.
