Busol Kateryna, Ní Aoláin Fionnuala. Women are at the center of Ukraine’s path to justice and recovery
Sexual violence has captured press headlines and accountability narratives since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But the Ukrainian response to such violence – which seeks to provide both criminal accountability and wider support to survivors – has received far less attention.
Civil society, especially women’s organizations and survivor groups, is leading the charge amid limited State capacity and the devastation of the ongoing all-out war. Yet the scale of the sexual and other gender-based violence (SGBV) will require a comprehensive victim-centred approach as a non-negotiable part of any eventual peace and Ukraine’s post-conflict recovery.