Title

From war to work: Deception, exploitation and invisible barriers of Ukrainian refugees in Greece

Creator

Bilokon, Anhelina

Abstract

This investigative feature story examines the systemic exploitation of Ukrainian refugees in the Greek labor market since 2022. Through personal accounts of Ukrainian women, Viktoria Stetsenko and Anna Zabolotnaya, the story explores common issues of refugees such as informal employment, unpaid wages, and "invisible" barriers of language proficiency and lack of legal awareness. Despite having legal rights to work under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive, many refugees face discriminatory treatment and excessive workload. The work investigates the critical gap between theoretical legal protections and their practical enforcement for Ukrainian refugees in Greece and consequences of job exploitation for the victims.

Keywords

labour exploitation

Ukrainian refugees

temporary protection directive

Date Available

May 28, 2026

Type

Oral presentation

Course

CN4433 L6 Investigative Journalism

Instructor

Kondopoulou, Margarita

Session

Oral presentation

Location

Art Center Auditorium

Event

Year 2026 | 10th Annual Student Research and Creative Arts Symposium