In New York, the Ukrainian Institute of America hosted "Ukraine Is Not Silent", a high-level discussion on justice for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and Ukraine's fight to bring perpetrators to justice. The event brought together more than 120 guests, including representatives of the international community, the public sector, human rights organizations and civil society.
This was reported by the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations at the UN (WFUWO at the UN).
The event was held within the framework of the annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), the official delegation from Ukraine was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa.
The participants of the event discussed the problem of using sexual violence as a weapon of war, which has been systematically used by the Russian military against Ukrainians since 2014. The purpose of the event was to send a call to human rights defenders, diplomats, and all those fighting for human rights, and to demonstrate the broad international support for Ukraine in the common struggle for justice for the victims.
The discussion began with welcoming remarks by Katie L. Nalyvaiko, President of the Ukrainian Institute of America, and a moment of silence in memory of the victims of Russian aggression.
Opening remarks were delivered by Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security and former U.S. Ambassador for Global Women's Issues, and Irena Yarosevych, Representative of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations (WFUWO) to the United Nations. Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna sent a video message to the participants, and Mariana Betsa addressed the event in person. The discussion was moderated by Irena Yarosevych, who, along with other speakers, discussed the Ukrainian experience in the fight against CRSV.
WFUWO at the UN noted that Ukraine was the first country to launch a pilot project to pay compensation to CRSV victims before the end of the trial. Victims' testimonies are being carefully documented and will be used as evidence in future trials of Russian perpetrators.
Representatives of the Ukrainian delegation spoke about the initiative to put Russia on the UN "list of shame" for using sexual violence as a military tactic.
Sabina Fraser Gunesh, UN Women Representative in Ukraine, stressed the importance of international responsibility and global support for victims.
The centerpiece of the event was the launch of the book Ukraine Is Not Silent, which will be published in Ukrainian and English in 2024. The book contains 25 interviews with CRSV survivors, as well as legal, medical and political experts working with victims of violence.
The book's authors, Natalia Karbovska, Director of Strategic Development at the Ukrainian Women's Fund, and Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, emphasized the importance of punishing perpetrators and supporting victims.
Iryna Dovhan, Director of SEMA Ukraine, member of the Board of the Global Survivors Fund, and Lyudmyla Huseynova, founder of the NGO "Come on, Sisters!", member of the Supervisory Board of the pilot project on compensation for victims, were particularly emotional. They shared their personal experiences and their work to help women who have experienced violence.
""It's not easy to read, but to be honest, I don't want to. Each article is a deep retraumatization and an attempt to understand how to live with it and what to do about it on all levels - personal, state and human... Thousands of women, children and men have suffered and are still suffering from sexual violence, which has become a weapon of war of the Russian aggressor... It is necessary to provide reparations to the victims, in particular, to register the information in the International Register of Damages - this will not only contribute to the rehabilitation of the victims, but will also consolidate the legitimacy of the claims and the facts of the crimes," shared Rimma Melnikova Rimma Melnikova, a member of the WFUWO Cultural Commission, sharing her impressions of the book..
The event was organized by leading international and Ukrainian organizations, including the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations (WFUWO), UNWLA, the Ukrainian Women's Fund (UWF), Self Reliance New York (Federal Credit Union), and the Ukrainian Institute of America (UIA).
Author: Inna Mikhno