Ukraine’s justice system has already initiated more than 40 criminal cases for sexual violence committed during the Russian invasion that began in February, but this is just “the tip of the iceberg,” Ukraine’s First Lady Olena said in London on Monday. Zelenska. .
In a speech at the Conference on the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zelenska revealed that Ukraine’s Prosecutor General of Justice is doing “an excellent job in coordinating the investigation of these types of crimes.”
“More than 40 criminal cases of sexual violence committed during the large-scale war started by the Russians” have already been initiated, added the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, admitting that this number “is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“The real number is much higher, and now establishing the number is impossible because no one who has faced these horrific crimes wants to come forward. (…) Unfortunately, survivors often remain silent. But when they are ready to speak, we have to ensure they have access to free professional legal assistance and any support they may need,” he said.
Olena Zelenska said that, in cooperation with the Global Survivors Fund, an interim program was being prepared to ensure long-term compensation for the victims.
“This is a message to all Russians: they will pay in the next few years for every person who has been the target of these crimes,” he said.
The Ukrainian first lady was speaking at the opening of the conference, which brings together representatives of some 70 countries today and Tuesday in the British capital to discuss ways to combat this type of crime in countries such as Ukraine, Ethiopia or Colombia.
2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, an Iraqi who was a sex slave for the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, said that “the international response has not been adequate” and that the international community has not prioritized violence. sexual.
“Sometimes it seems easier to talk about policies and resource constraints than to focus on what we can do. And I think the international community can do more,” he said.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, admitted that it was necessary to “find ways to talk less and do more”.
“Gender-based sexual crimes are not just allegations of rape or sexual violence, not just against girls, women, boys and men, but encompass a range of crimes, including gender-based harassment. We are trying to take politics off paper and implement them in the ICC more effectively,” he guaranteed.
Opening the conference, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced a new funding package of up to £12.5 million (€14.5 million) to help victims of sexual violence prosecute offenders. responsible.
The United Kingdom will also separately donate 3.45 million pounds (four million euros) to the UN Population Fund, aimed at combating gender-based violence in Ukraine.
Source: TSF
