War and Sexual Violence in Ukraine: Challenges, Policy Responses and Future Directions

Durham University Ukrainian Talk series  

with Dr Markian Prokopovych 

War and sexual violence: Challenges, Policy Responses and Future Directions 

29 Nov, 6pm @ Durham Town Hall 

Free event  

Translator present 

Book here 

The Russian military invasion on February 24, 2022, is causing significant risks to the affected population in Ukraine. The Ombudsman, Prosecutor’s Office and Ministry of Interior of Ukraine reported cases of rape and sexual violence in the occupied areas. At the end of September, the UN released a report that confirmed ‘more than a hundred cases’ of rape or sexual violence since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Personal encounters with human or man-made violence are considered the most disturbing forms of trauma, likely to have the most lasting impact. Psychologists and psychotherapists help to overcome such traumatic experiences. Obtaining adequate evidence of violent war crimes has become a real challenge for Ukrainian lawyers. Foreign forensic assistance in this area turned out to be very relevant. However, it is extremely difficult to establish the exact number of people in Ukraine who suffered from sexual violence during the recent eight months or over the last 9 years of war. This roundtable will identify the most vulnerable affected groups and discuss how sexual violence during the war is different from other violence crimes in terms of its legal qualifications, and how the whole society is affected in many ways. 

Panel members: Prof Oleksii Makarenkov, Associate Professor of Law, ZNU; Dr Natalia Mosol, Associate Professor of Psychology, ZNU; Prof Tammi Walker, Principal of St Cuthbert’s Society and Professor of Forensic Psychology, Durham University; Prof Graham Towl, Professor of Forensic Psychology, Durham University. Chair: Dr Markian Prokopovych, Associate Professor of History, Durham University. Venue: Durham Town Hall.  

This series is organised jointly by Durham University, Zaporizhzhia National University in Ukraine and Durham County Council.