Several dozen activists took part in the annual Walk of Freedom march set to draw attention to the problem of human trafficking on Oct. 16.
Activists, wearing black clothes and holding black umbrellas, walked in silence across downtown Kyiv. Similar rallies took place in several Ukrainian cities, including regional capitals Chernivtsi and Sumy.
The silent marches were organized by the A21 Campaign, a non-profit from Australia tasked with combating human trafficking. The rallies were held in over 100 cities across the globe.
In 2017, the number of reported human trafficking cases from Ukraine was 1,259, the highest level since the International Organization of Migration (IOM) started its count in 2000. Altogether, over 230,000 Ukrainians have been victims of human trafficking since 1991, according to the research.
Most cases of human trafficking deal with sexual exploitation and forced labor. On Aug. 1, National Police issued a statement saying that 130 cases of human trafficking have been uncovered in the first half of 2021.
