What problems do internally displaced persons face: research

More than 6.6 million people in Ukraine are internally displaced, according to a survey conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) from July 17 to 23.

What regions do Ukrainians leave from?

This figure is 15% of the total population of Ukraine and has slightly increased compared to the end of June when the IOM counted about 6.3 million VPOs. People continue to leave from the east, south, and north of Ukraine.

Which regions are Ukrainians returning to?

At the same time, 5.5 million previously displaced persons returned home - the vast majority of them were on the move in Ukraine, and 16% were produced from abroad.

The central regions of return are Kyiv and Kyiv regions, as well as Kharkiv, Odesa, and Chernihiv regions.

Job

The situation with the employment of internally displaced persons remains quite critical and is one of the reasons pushing people to return. According to the IOM, 60% of those who had a job before they were displaced have now lost their jobs. 9% of internally displaced persons have had no income since the beginning of the war, and 35% reported that their family's monthly payment does not exceed UAH 5,000, which is UAH 1,500 less than the minimum wage in Ukraine. The IOM study also showed acute needs with preparation for winter for internally displaced persons, those who have returned, and those who have not left their homes since the start of a full-scale war. 44% of the total population surveyed said they needed help with home insulation, such as repairing or replacing windows. And 26% of internally displaced people are afraid they will have to leave their current housing because it will not have enough heating and thermal insulation to live in it during the winter.

Help

To help those affected by the war in Ukraine cope with the above and numerous other challenges, the International Organization for Migration is now providing communities and HPE accommodation centers with non-food items, washing machines and dryers, kitchen sets, hygiene products, and refurbishing community centers.

IOM also responds to the urgent needs of people in war-affected areas that have been re-established under Ukrainian Government control and provides support to micro and small businesses that have been affected by the war or relocated to other regions of Ukraine.

Consultations

With the support of IOM, the National Anti-Trafficking and Migrant Advice Hotline 527 provides advice to persons forced to leave Ukraine on safe border crossings, procedures for protection seekers in EU countries, and rules for safe migration.
The IOM Emotional Support Hotline 0 800 211 444 provides emergency psychological assistance.