Sexual violence is integral to the policy of terror, which the Russian army are pursuing in Ukraine – Oleksandra Matviichuk
Russian military terrorizes the civilians in the occupied territories consciously suppressing any peaceful protests. Sexual violence has become a component of this policy. Olexandra Matviychuk, the head of the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), mentioned this in the online discussion “Providing responsibility for sexual violence in conflict” organized by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.
During her statement at the event, which happened with the involvement of Pramila Patten, the special representative of the Secretary-General of the UN on sexual violence in conflict, Olexandra Matviychuk told that sexual violence is the most latent war crime, whose scale is possible to estimate only post factum.
“Sexual violence during a war is the most latent crime. People who survive it frequently are not ready to go to the police and discuss it, even with human rights workers, because they see being raped as a shame,” she noted. “Through specific victims, sexual violence is directed to the entire society to awaken shame in the victims, guilt in those who were not able to protect them, and the fear of experiencing a similar attitude in the rest. This is expected to weaken social connections and simplify seizing control over the region,” the head of the CCL highlighted.
After liberating Kyiv Oblast in the end of March, it is possible to speak about large-scale sexual violence from Russian troops because the rape victims are contacting even Euromaidan SOS, a voluntary organization that does not specialize in such cases.
“Even our voluntary initiative, which does not focus on sexual violence, is addressed by those whom Russian soldiers raped; this marks the frequency of the phenomenon,” she added.
In addition, Olexandra Matviychuk announced a special meeting of Ukrainian activists who work in the given sphere with the representative of the UN during her future visit to Ukraine. It is essential that Pramila Patten is going to arrive in Ukraine to study the problem on the ground.
The human rights defender also set the directions for reducing violence in the future:
“First of all, Russian aggression has to be stopped, so that no further war crimes are committed and no more victims appear. For this, Ukraine needs weapons and stricter anti-Russian sanctions from the global community.”
Second, the EU, the USA, the UK, and the other members of the UN should support Ukraine and the International Criminal Court to contribute to the prosecution of those who are guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, in particular, by involving the international element in the national investigation as well as judgment and by creating the Special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Third, the presence and supervision of international organizations, such as the UN, the CoE, and the OSCE are necessary in the combat zones, in the occupied territories, and during the evacuations of the civilians from the isolated communities,” Olexandra Matviychuk summarized.
