More than a million refugees arrived in about ten days. It is the fastest crisis in Europe since the Second World War, according to the UN. Refugees who are mainly women and children, with men between the ages of 18 and 60 expected to remain in Ukraine due to the general military mobilization. A massive influx of women and children raises the question of their future in Poland, for those who remain in the country, particularly in terms of employment.
From our correspondent in Warsaw,
Ukrainians arriving in Poland in recent years were a highly sought-after labor force to cope with the country’s economic development, particularly in the construction sector or the agricultural sector. But many Ukrainian men working in Poland have returned to their country to fight or join their relatives since the start of the war, and arriving refugees are mainly womens. The profile of the workforce is therefore changing.
“We already know that job offers that are free cannot be filled by women, not 100% anyway. In some cases yes, but in other cases the possible positions are not intended for both men and womens, informs Agnieszka Kosowicz of the Polish Migration Forum. The other problem that will arise is that of childcare, which is not a strong point in Poland. So the arrival of many women with children in our country will cause a great challenge in terms of meeting the needs of women so that they can work, and ensuring that they find work compatible with the fact that they are single mothers. »
Risks of abuse
NGOs point out that these women who arrive sometimes find themselves in a vulnerable situation at the border. Because if some families are expected by relatives living in Poland or elsewhere, who have come to pick them up, others arrive without knowing anyone. As in any crisis, there are risks, underlines the NGO la Strada, which works in particular on the subjects of human trafficking and forced labor. The organization has received testimonies of women coming across people offering them accommodation in exchange for sex, or asking them for money after claiming to be able to transport them for free. The association is also concerned about possible abuses also by employers, who have already had to deal in the past with violations of labor law for Ukrainian workers living in Poland.
To have a legal framework to regulate the arrival and the life in Poland of these hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian women, the Polish government adopted a bill, this Monday, March 7, which must now be presented to Parliament. According to the text, Ukrainian men and women will be able to stay eighteen months on Polish territory and work there freely; a period that can be extended for another 18 months. Access to health services as well as to Polish schools will also be possible. Objective: to guarantee a normal life for refugees.
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