2024-02-22 21:31:07
The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine will soon be celebrating its second anniversary. A topic that has received little attention so far is sexual violence against children. A new study now provides information about this.
Amir Selim / t-online
A soldier on the front in Ukraine (archive image): Since the Russian war of aggression, the issue of sexual violence against children has received little attention. Image: keystone
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Many Ukrainian children have experienced bomb scares, air raid shelters and a lot of destruction – especially since the start of the Russian war of aggression on February 24, 2022. A topic that has hardly been present in public in this context is sexual violence against children and young people. Now a study by the Kindernothilfe aid organization has looked into this. To do this, the authors interviewed 19 experts, including scientists, employees of non-governmental organizations and government institutions who are familiar with the topic.
The developments on the war in Ukraine:
The result: 915 cases of general sexualized violence were identified in Ukraine. 13 cases were conflict-related by Russian soldiers. A year ago, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office reported only 156 total cases. This is probably just the tip of the iceberg, says Dr. Judith Striek, author of the study and human rights officer at Kindernothilfe: “There is an immensely high number of unreported cases.” How high this is cannot be said seriously. Her co-author Elias Dehnen explains that in normal conditions in Europe, according to the Council of Europe’s “One in Five” campaign, one in five children is affected by sexual violence. During war the proportion is likely to be higher.
There are several reasons for the high number of unreported cases:
- There is a lack of data from the Ukrainian provinces near the war front and from the Russian-occupied areas,
- Children and their parents living in areas liberated by the Ukrainian army do not report cases of sexual violence – for fear of consequences from Russian soldiers if the area were to be conquered again,
- potential stigmatization and perpetrator-victim reversal: those affected would be afraid of accusations of having collaborated with the enemy,
- Due to a lack of information, affected children are not aware that they have suffered sexual violence,
- lack of trust in the state, in the investigators,
- inadequate victim protection measures.
The youngest victim was four years old
In order to encourage even more victims to report to investigators, the authors suggest a “survivor-centered approach.” This means that investigators pay more attention to what victims need when interviewing them. That is not the case so far. But that is exactly what could convince more people to cooperate with the authorities, explains Dehnen.
After all: The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office has set up a new department that deals with conflict-related cases of sexual violence. Other survivors are currently considering reporting Russian soldiers for sexual violence, even if prosecuting the perpetrators during the war is difficult.
Sexual violence
There is no uniform definition of sexual violence. Kindernothilfe relies on two variants. The first is: One or more people impose sexualized acts or content on another person from a position of power. The second definition: Direct, verbal or physical as well as indirect, non-verbal or media actions are carried out against the will of the person concerned.
Sexual violence
There is no uniform definition of sexual violence. Kindernothilfe relies on two variants. The first is: One or more people impose sexualized acts or content on another person from a position of power. The second definition: Direct, verbal or physical as well as indirect, non-verbal or media actions are carried out against the will of the person concerned.
The youngest victim: a four-year-old girl from the Kiev region. A Russian soldier had previously abused her parents and then sexually assaulted the girl. Such children need psychological care. This requires trained staff, which is currently not available in sufficient numbers.
Corresponding initiatives need to be expanded, says Carsten Montag, board member of Kindernothilfe. “Sexualized violence is used as a war tactic.” Direct orders cannot be verified. But the fact that sexual violence is part of armed conflict is “nothing new,” says Judith Striek.
Dr. Judith Striek, co-author of the new study. Image: T-online
Tips from Rwanda and Bosnia
In Ukraine there is therefore contact with organizations from Rwanda and Bosnia. In both countries, sexual violence was also used as a war tactic during the genocides, reports Daria Chekalova, deputy director of the NGO Girls organization from Ukraine.
That’s why we’ve been collecting experience on sexual violence for decades. One finding: Some of those affected only come forward 20 years after their experiences. In Ukraine, society, the judiciary and politics must prepare for this. “We have to combat the high level of stigmatization,” says Chekalova. Destigmatization by creating awareness is her most important concern.
Children in the Ukraine war with a plastic rifle.Image: Celestino Arce/imago images
Striek also confirms this: “There will be major long-term damage.” According to Montag, that is also the goal: “It’s not just about hurting people. Those affected should be permanently harmed.” The extent will only become clearer in a few years. It is now all the more important to combat stigmatization.
There are currently posters in schools asking girls not to “provoke” boys, says Striek. Likewise, many in Ukraine believed that only gay boys were victims of sexual violence. Such prejudices and stigmas are a problem when dealing with it. There are enormous hurdles and challenges with children born from rape.
The issue is “swept under the carpet”
Chekalova reports that in Bosnia, for example, there is long-term financial compensation for victims. There is nothing comparable in Ukraine yet, but it would make sense. In addition, more resources are generally needed to provide those affected with sufficient help. There are currently only ten so-called safe spaces in the 24 oblasts of Ukraine for victims.
Ukraine doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel either. Existing approaches and programs from other countries should be adopted. So far, the topic has been “under the radar,” says Chekalova. According to Striek, it is simply “swept under the carpet”.
Daria Chekalova, deputy director of NGO Girls in Ukraine.Image: Kindernothilfe
Those involved are pinning their hopes on the reconstruction conference next June. Children and young people in particular are crucial for the reconstruction of the country after the war. So far, the topic has not been in focus so much: “The aspect of sexual violence, especially among children, is underrepresented,” says Carsten Montag.
Kindernothilfe has been helping in Ukraine since autumn 2022
They do not want to make demands on politicians regarding military support for Ukraine. “We would do better to focus on our core competencies,” says Montag. It is important to support the children. “It doesn’t matter who comes out as the winner. The losers are the children and young people. And they will stay that way.”
At the beginning of the war, the organization supported families from the neighboring countries of Romania and Moldova in the form of shelters, winter aid, educational offers and food distribution. Kindernothilfe has also been active in Ukraine since autumn 2022. They work there with local non-governmental organizations, such as “NGO Girls”.
Sources used:
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