Sexualized violence against children in Ukraine’s war: New study alerts change of boss at Boeing’s Max program after dramatic incident

Many Ukrainian children have to deal with bomb threats, bomb 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 publicly visible in this context is sexual violence against children. and young people. This has now been examined in a study by the aid organization Kindernothilfe. To do this, the authors interviewed 19 experts, including scientists, employees of non-governmental organizations and government agencies familiar with the subject.

The result: 915 cases of general sexual violence were identified in Ukraine. 13 cases were conflict-related by Russian soldiers. A year ago, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office reported a total of only 156 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.” It is impossible to say seriously how high this is. Her co-author Elias Dehnen explains that according to the Council of Europe’s “One in Five” campaign, one in five children in Europe will experience sexual violence under normal circumstances. During war the proportion is likely to be higher.

There are several reasons for the high number of unreported cases:

The youngest victim was four years old

To encourage even more victims to come forward to researchers, the authors propose a “survivor-centered approach.” This means that investigators pay more attention to what victims need during interrogation. That has not been the case so far. But that’s exactly what could convince more people to cooperate with authorities, Dehnen explains.

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 assault, even though it is difficult to prosecute perpetrators during the war.

Sexual violence

There is no uniform definition of sexual violence. Kindernothilfe relies on two variants. The first is: one or more people impose sexualized actions 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 personnel, which are currently not available in sufficient numbers.

Corresponding initiatives should be expanded, says Carsten Montag, board member of Kindernothilfe. “Sexual violence is used as a war tactic.” Direct orders cannot be verified. But the fact that sexual violence is part of armed conflicts is ‘nothing new’, says Judith Striek.

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 is why we have been collecting experiences about sexual violence for decades. One finding: Some of those affected only come forward twenty years after their experiences. In Ukraine, society, the judiciary and politicians must prepare for this. “We need to combat the high level of stigmatization,” Chekalova said. Destigmatization by creating awareness is her main concern.

Striek also confirms this: “There will be major damage in the long term.” According to Montag, that is also the goal: “It’s not just about hurting people. Those affected must suffer permanent damage.” 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. Similarly, many in Ukraine believed that only gay boys were victims of sexual violence. Such prejudices and stigmas pose a problem in dealing with them. There are enormous obstacles and challenges for children born from rape.

The issue is being “swept under the carpet”

Chekalova reports that in Bosnia, for example, there is long-term financial compensation for victims. There is nothing similar in Ukraine yet, but it would make sense. Moreover, more resources are usually needed to provide sufficient assistance to those affected. There are currently only ten so-called safe spaces in Ukraine’s 24 oblasts for victims.

Ukraine does not need to reinvent the wheel. Existing approaches and programs from other countries should be adopted. So far, the topic has “gone under the radar,” Chekalova says. According to Striek, it is simply being “swept under the carpet”.

Those involved are pinning their hopes on the reconstruction conference in June next year. Children and young people in particular are crucial for the reconstruction of the country after the war. So far, the topic has not received much attention: “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 aid to 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 on top. The losers are the children and young people. And they will remain so.”

At the beginning of the war, the organization supported families from neighboring 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 together with local non-governmental organizations, such as ‘NGO Girls’.

Used sources: