Women and children refugees are vulnerable to abuse even after reaching ‘safety’

Women and children can fall prey to sex trafficking, violence, and exploitation even when they escape conflict zones such as Ukraine

Women and children refugees at the Ukrainian-Romanian border in Siret in March. Picture: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images

The ongoing invasion of Ukraine has led to one of the largest movements of people in the world today, with 5.3m refugees from Ukraine and 7.7m people internally displaced in just two months. 

Women, children, and older people make up the vast majority of this population, something that is generally true of most refugee crises.