Ukraine
Present
Viktoria Martsyniuk was a victim of rape by a Russian soldier in her home. Investigators say sexual violence by Russian soldiers was on a ‘systematic level.'
In February of 2022, Russia escalated their involvement in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine by invading the country. As a result, women in Ukraine have become even more vulnerable to gender-based violence. Reports of rape, sexual torture, and forced nudity have been documented by journalists, human rights organizations, and law enforcement agencies. Some of these acts have been attributed to Russian troops, particularly in regions such as Mariupol, Kerson, Kyiv, and Mykolaiv, with some accusing Russia of using rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war against Ukraine.
The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, has been raising awareness about the issue, saying that sexual violence is being used "systematically and openly" in the conflict. More specifically, as of June 3rd, 2022, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights have received 124 reports of conflict-related sexual violence acts in Ukraine. The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine furthered that “the age of victims of sexual and gender-based violence ranged from four to 82 years.” However, it is difficult to confirm the actual number of sexual violence as Olena Zelenska stressed, “these are only those cases where the victims found the strength to testify.”
Resistance
Despite the increase in military sexual abuse in Ukraine from the Russia-Ukrainian War, many have discovered methods to fight back. For example, Hrystyna Kit is a Ukrainian women's rights advocate who has been working to support survivors of sexual violence in conflicts. In 2017, she founded an organization called JurFem, which works to provide legal assistance and support to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
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Ukrainian protesters in Manchester, England, hold placards on April 9 showing atrocities in Ukraine since the Russian invasion of the country.
A woman representing a rape victim leads protesters in Berlin demonstrating in an April 16 march against Russian military aggression in the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Syria.
Another example of resistance is the Sexual Violence Mobile Justice Team in Ukraine, established by a non-governmental organization and law firm called Global Rights Compliance in December 2022. The team is made up of international and Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators, and is supported by the U.K., the U.S., and the European Union, with a goal of investigating and prosecuting alleged perpetrators of sexual violence, and delivering justice for victims.