A new report has found food containing worms and maggots has been provided to Ukrainians who are staying in State provided accommodation.

The study of the centres by Doras found 60% of those staying there rated the quality of meals as poor or very poor.

Almost 1,000 Ukrainians took part in the survey and also highlighted concerns with the lack of facilities for children, the attitudes of staff and the absence of complaints mechanisms.

Doras CEO John Lannon said some of the food being provided to those fleeing war has been completely inappropriate. 

“There were some really worrying reports of undercooked or rotten food, cases of food poisoning, rats or mice,” he said. 

“These were in a very small number of centres but nonetheless quite unacceptable.” 

Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The report also found that one in six Ukrainians staying in State provided accommodation have concerns about the safety of their children while staying in the centres.

In addition, one in 10 respondents say they have concerns regarding gender based violence at the centres they live in. 

Mr Lannon described the centres as not set up to provide an appropriate level of care for children who have travelled thousands of miles to flee conflict. 

“Welfare of children is compromised due to insufficient safeguards, lack of facilities, [there is an] absence of basic training policies that are the minimum standards across other sectors,” he said. 

Since the invasion of their country in 2022, more than 100,000 Ukrainians have moved to Ireland.

Main image: A rat in a sink. Picture by: Alamy.com