A women's shelter for refugees in Poland fights for survival as anti-Ukrainian sentiment rises
- Nastya Podorozhnya founded the Martynka shelter to support female Ukrainian refugees escaping gender-based violence.
- Funding for refugee support is decreasing as hostility toward Ukrainians grows in Poland.
- Martynka's shelter has hosted over 100 women and children, providing essential services such as medical care and psychological support.
- Calls for donations to keep the shelter open often lead to online abuse directed at Podorozhnya due to her Ukrainian identity.
KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — When Nastya Podorozhnya’s relatives fled the war in Ukraine for neighboring Poland, volunteers welcomed them with open arms. Podorozhnya, 29, was already living in Poland when the war began. But days before Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, she rushed back to Ukraine to help her sister and nieces get out.
As she returned to Poland alongside an influx of refugees in the war’s first days, she witnessed the outpouring of support from Polish volunteers. But she also spotted a risk: Ukrainian women accepting help from strangers could become vulnerable to human traffickers. That was when she decided to found Martynka, a helpline and support group for female Ukrainian refugees escaping gender-based violence.
Four years later, she is struggling to keep the organization afloat. Funding for refugee support is drying up, hostility toward Ukrainians is growing, and Poland still lacks a long-term integration strategy. As war fatigue deepens, politicians are increasingly exploiting anti-refugee sentiment for political gain.
波兰一处女性难民庇护所在反乌克兰情绪上升中挣扎求生
克拉科夫，波兰（美联社）——当纳斯佳·波多罗兹尼亚的亲属逃离乌克兰的战争来到邻国波兰时，志愿者们热情地欢迎他们。29岁的波多罗兹尼亚在战争开始时已在波兰生活，但在2022年2月24日俄罗斯全面入侵前的几天，她急忙返回乌克兰帮助她的姐姐和侄女逃离。
在战争初期与大量难民一起返回波兰时，她目睹了波兰志愿者的热情支持。但她也发现了一个风险：接受陌生人帮助的乌克兰女性可能会成为人口贩子的目标。于是，她决定创立马尔丁卡，一个为逃离性别暴力的乌克兰女性难民提供热线和支持的小组。
四年后，她正努力维持组织的运作。难民支持的资金正在减少，针对乌克兰人的敌意在增加，而波兰仍缺乏长期的融入策略。随着战争疲劳加深，政治家们越来越多地利用反难民情绪来获取政治利益。