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Stories you may have missed: refugees and human trafficking; alleged shelter abuse; and trafficking tattoo coverups

We are so fortunate to have people send us stories of the day (and the past), and we want to have a place to feature them. This is our first edition of “:” Let us know what you think. Should we do more? 

How the sex trade preys on Ukraine's refugees

by Katya Adler Europe editor @BBCkatyaadleron on Twitter

Stories you may have missed: refugees and human trafficking; alleged shelter abuse; and trafficking tattoo coverups: Women and their children have been arriving at the border area
Stories you may have missed: refugees and human trafficking; alleged shelter abuse; and trafficking tattoo coverups: Women and their children have been arriving at the border area

Five weeks into Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, imagine for a moment what it's like to live there now.

Bombs, bloodshed, trauma. No school for your children, no for your parents, no safe roof over your head in many parts of the country.

Would you try to run? Ten million Ukrainians have, according to the .

Most seek refuge in other areas of Ukraine, believed to be safer. But more than three and a half million people have fled over the border.

They are mainly women and children, as men under the age of 60 are obliged by the Ukrainian government to stay put and fight.

Displaced and disoriented, often with no idea where to go next, refugees are forced to put their trust in strangers.

Read the rest of the story through the original story link, above.

‘This is appalling': Staff at Bastrop County sex trafficking refuge for girls accused of sex trafficking

by Luz Moreno-Lozano, Austin American-Statesman

Stories you may have missed: refugees and human trafficking; alleged shelter abuse; and trafficking tattoo coverups: The Refuge Ranch opened in August 2018 on 50 acres in Bastrop County. It's the largest long-term, live-in rehabilitation community for child survivors of sex trafficking in the country, and it is designed to house girls ages 11 to 19.
Stories you may have missed: refugees and human trafficking; alleged shelter abuse; and trafficking tattoo coverups: The Refuge Ranch opened in August 2018 on 50 acres in Bastrop County. It's the largest long-term, live-in rehabilitation community for child survivors of in the country, and it is designed to house girls ages 11 to 19.

Nine employees of a state-contracted facility in Bastrop County that cares for young victims of sex trafficking are being accused of having trafficked those same girls, according to a letter from Tara Olah, a director with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

One employee of the Refuge Ranch, who has not been identified, has been arrested on a charge that has not been made public, Olah said, adding that eight others are believed to be involved. More arrests are anticipated, she said, and more criminal charges are expected.

Officials with the Refuge Ranch said they employed more than three dozen staff members to provide round-the-clock care for the girls. Four of them have been fired in connection with the allegations, and several remaining staff members are still under investigation.

Read the rest of the story through the original story link, above.

Group is turning human trafficking tattoos into symbols of triumph

by JOCE STERMAN and ALEX BRAUER, Sinclair Broadcast Group Wednesday, April 10th 2019

Stories you may have missed: refugees and human trafficking; alleged shelter abuse; and trafficking tattoo coverups: Trafficking Tattoo Cover Up Examples
Stories you may have missed: refugees and human trafficking; alleged shelter abuse; and trafficking tattoo coverups: Trafficking Tattoo Cover Up Examples

ATLANTA (SBG) — A Georgia group is helping survivors of human trafficking turn the pain of their past into symbols of triumph, with a little assistance from tattoo artists. The work they're doing covers up and alters tattoos, signs and scars inflicted upon survivors, using them to create works of art.

Read the rest of the story through the original story link, above.