“More military aid to Ukraine means fewer war crimes, including sexual crimes.” Oleksandra Matviichuk at the White House in Washington, DC

On June 17, a discussion on the multiple crimes of sexual violence in wars and armed conflicts took place at the White House in the United States. Among the participants were Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Colbasia Haussuss, co-founder of the organization of survivors of sexual violence, Nadia Murad, Iranian human rights activist, and Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta and producer of the film “Screams Before Silence”. 

The Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, welcomed the participants, the media, and the guests.  She emphasized that from Ethiopia to Sudan to the crimes committed by Russians in Ukraine, sexual violence in the context of armed conflict or war continues around the world. In contrast to justice, such crimes go unpunished. She also noted that the areas where the crimes continue to occur are growing, with the UN estimating that only one in 20 cases of violence is documented.

This is why the U.S. State Department has launched the Dignity in Documentation initiative, which will be a global system for the documentation of sexual crimes. It is intended to use all the diplomatic means to punish those who commit acts of sexual violence.

In her speech, Oleksandra Matviichuk said that even as this discussion takes place within the White House walls, the Russian military may be committing sexual violence in the occupied territory of Ukraine. She also pointed out that such a high number of Russian war crimes in Ukraine means that it is not just an accident, but a strategy. Russia uses war crimes, including sexual crimes, as a method of warfare and intimidation.

“One challenge we face as human rights defenders is the number of crimes. Another is that the law is not functioning right now. The whole global peace and security system cannot stop this. I believe that this is not going to last forever, so we need time to investigate these cases and bring the offenders to justice. But time on the battlefield, in the occupied territories, in the rear, is turning into mass deaths for us. So I’m saying what you don’t expect from a human rights activist. But more military aid to Ukraine will indeed mean less war crimes, including sexual crimes, which we, as human rights defenders, will have to document,” Oleksandra pointed out.