Areas of Vulnerability of Ukrainian Women in the Conditions of Forced Migration to Germany

Abstract

After the start of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians evacuated to different European countries to escape the hostilities in our country. According to a UN report, about 87% of Ukrainian refugees are women and children, so the purpose of the article is to identify women's areas of vulnerability in the context of forced migration to Germany. The methodology of the research is based on 75 interviews with Ukrainian refugees in Germany as part of the project “What is impossible to talk about? Life Stories and Perspectives of Ukrainian Women War Refugees in Germany”, as well as methods of observation, self-analysis, reflection, and my own practical experience of communicating with Ukrainian women in Germany. The scientific novelty of the work consists of the fact that for the first time in historiography the issue of studying the experience of forced Ukrainian migrants from a gender perspective is raised. Conclusions. The main results of the study identify a few problematic areas for Ukrainian women who were forced to move to Germany. The first problem they faced was the lack of state resources to control the process of housing assignment, which led to the growth of individual initiatives to help Ukrainian refugees, but also provoked the possibility of sexual violence and professional exploitation. However, financial support has become a great benefit for Ukrainian refugees in Germany, reducing the risks of these phenomena in the future. Integration into German society is most difficult for single women with preschool children due to the lack of a familiar support network and childcare. However, they gradually built new social networks that facilitated the process of adapting to a new life. The separation of families was a significant challenge for many refugees, which affected their psycho-emotional well-being. In addition, one of the problems of forcibly displaced Ukrainian women is the presence of psychological trauma caused by the outbreak of war and the evacuation process. The practical value of the results obtained is the possibility of developing recommendations for ways to integrate Ukrainian refugees into German society, considering the spheres of vulnerability we have identified.