Ukraine is a country with a disturbing number of victims of trafficking. Being a country of origin, destination and transition of human trafficking, Ukraine has also seen an increase in internal trafficking in recent years. EU, UN and US reports and rankings, continuously indicate that Ukraine is facing a serious problem with human trafficking and that urgent measures need to be taken. 

This publication provides an overview of Ukrainian legislation on trafficking in human beings (THB), as well as recent efforts by Ukraine to combat THB. There are apparent steps forward to combat human trafficking on the national level, with improved legislation focussing on THB and institutional frameworks. The paper concludes that despite some progress, the country still remains on the Tier 2 list of the 2014 US TIP report. It is thus clear that efforts made until today are still insufficient, and the positive trend needs to be amplified, with more resources allocated to fighting THB.