A consortium formed by CARE, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Plan International commissioned ITAR Consultants to conduct a study on community perceptions of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) among Ukrainian refugees in Poland. The research sought to identify the barriers preventing refugees from reporting SEA incidents and to provide evidence-based recommendations for improving safeguarding mechanisms. Specifically, it aimed to (1) examine refugees’ understanding of SEA and their awareness of existing reporting mechanisms; (2) identify preferred communication channels and key barriers to reporting SEA incidents; (3) analyse the effectiveness of SEA reporting systems within humanitarian organisations in Poland; and (4) provide practical recommendations for strengthening safeguarding frameworks and ensuring more effective reporting and response mechanisms.
The evaluation included:
- key informant interviews with subject-matter experts and humanitarian practitioners;
- online surveys with staff from organisations providing services to refugees;
- in-person surveys with Ukrainian refugees to assess perceptions of SEA and reporting mechanisms; and
- validation workshops with affected populations and humanitarian staff to contextualize findings
The study is designed to inform advocacy efforts, future programming, and organisational safeguarding practices, with a focus on localising solutions to the specific Polish context.
