Global Rights Compliance (GRC) has long called for and supported accountability for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) as well as the need to pay due attention to the rights and needs of victims and survivors in the justice process. On this International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, GRC laments the continued perpetration of sexual violence in multiple conflicts around the world, including in Ukraine, where GRC has been operating since 2015.
Since 2014, national and international organisations have reported on the perpetration of sexual violence in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and in Crimea. Following Russia’s brutal and illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the scope and scale of these crimes is much larger.
GRC is encouraged by the continued efforts undertaken by the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) of Ukraine to address these heinous crimes, including the operationalisation of a dedicated CRSV Division within the War Crimes Unit in September 2022, and will continue to support and assist the OPG in its vital work investigating and prosecuting cases of CRSV. At present, the OPG is actively investigating around 200 cases of sexual violence. It is also working to address the persistent underreporting of CRSV in Ukraine, including through enhanced support to victims, witnesses and survivors.
As a member of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA), GRC has been providing on the ground legal and strategic advice to the OPG, including as experts in OPG investigative activities. This also includes advice on situating sexual violence in the broader pattern of criminal conduct by armed actors; recognising indicators of its perpetration; and on its differentiated and gendered forms and impacts. GRC is also delivering capacity building workshops with regards to applicable legal frameworks, modes of liability, as well as victim-centred approaches to interviews. To date, workshops have been delivered to investigators and prosecutors from the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
In cooperation with Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI), GRC is also assisting in the development of a nation-wide set of protocols aimed at ensuring that CRSV investigations and prosecutions are more effective and victim/survivor-centric, in line with international standards and best practice. The process is led by a taskforce established by the OPG, comprising representatives of investigative agencies and prosecution offices from both the regional and central levels in Ukraine. The taskforce is working in a consultative manner, inviting input from experts and practitioners at key junctures.
GRC is committed to the efficient coordination of support to domestic justice actors, including in relation to addressing CRSV. In this regard, GRC welcomes the CRSV Division’s draft action plan which was developed based on a needs assessment carried out by PSVI with assistance from GRC and aims to respond to the precise needs of the OPG and minimise the risks of duplication of efforts.
The Ukrainian approach to achieving accountability for these crimes amidst a full-fledged armed conflict is commendable. GRC call upon the international community to continue providing support to these efforts, in a coordinated, long-term, and sustainable manner.
GRC is grateful to the European Union for funding its Mobile Justice Team to specifically work on conflict-related sexual violence.