In November, the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association JurFem organised a second conference “Survivor-centered Justice for Gender-based Violence Survivors”. Global Rights Compliance thanks Jurfem for inviting two of its representatives to talk on this very important issue The conference brought together prosecutors, investigators, representatives of the civil society and international organisations, forensic experts, and judges to discuss the progress in the development of pre-trial investigation standards for gender-based violence cases, incorporating survivor-centered approaches, alongside the parallel implementation of these standards through training for professionals, including investigators, prosecutors, and inquiry officers from all regions of Ukraine.
Participants discussed several vital topics, including:
- Victim-centered approaches in pre-trial investigations of gender-based violence cases.
- The development and use of forensic examinations in criminal proceedings related to GBV, including the challenges posed by martial law.
- Interaction between various actors including law enforcement bodies regarding trauma-informed practices.
Global Rights Compliance’s representative took part in two workshops during the conference.
As Karine Ardault, Head of the Mobile Justice Team on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Global Rights Compliance, highlighted:
“It is essential to understand how trauma affects memory and how it will impact how they share their experience. Classical interrogation can create unnecessary stress that will impact their recollection and their experience with the judicial process. It is also essential for investigators and prosecutors to be mindful of their own biases when interviewing survivors. Procedural interviews, such as according to the PEACE model, are better suited to ensure survivor-centered and trauma-informed approaches while ensuring better quality evidence collection. ”
Anastasiia Moiseieva, Deputy Lead of the Mobile Justice Team on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, emphasised the importance of collaboration between justice-supporting agencies:
“ It is very important that all the involved actors, including investigative and prosecutorial authorities, forensic experts, and civil society, despite pursuing varying objectives, collaborate towards the shared goal of enhancing the experience of victims participating in the criminal justice process, while minimizing the risks of their stigmatization and re-traumatisation.”
This event is part of a broader effort to ensure that survivors of GBV receive justice not only through the prosecution of offenders but also through empathetic and trauma-informed practices across all stages of the justice system.
Global Rights Compliance remains committed to ensuring justice for all survivors of gender-based violence, advocating for approaches that prioritise empathy, impartiality, and professionalism across the justice system.