19 June – International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict

06.19.25

This day reminds us of those whose pain is often invisible and unheard. Of people who remain silent out of shame, fear or lack of support. Of women, men and children for whom war, along with other challenges, also means sexual violence as a weapon of the aggressor.

Despite the war, trauma and fear, survivors continue to fight for justice and have the courage to seek help. This day is also an opportunity to reflect on how we as a society, a system and a professional community respond to this crime. From the experience of domestic cases, we see how much still needs to be changed in order for justice in Ukraine to truly be victim-centered.

Investigating conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is fraught with numerous difficulties. When representing survivors in proceedings, we encounter inconsistent anonymisation policies, stigmatisation, and duplicative procedures, all of which lead to retraumatisation. Although these problems are common to various serious crimes, in the case of CRSV they have a particularly devastating impact.

When dealing with such cases, it is important not only to respond to individual incidents, but also to change approaches – in legislation, processes and specialist training. Many of these issues are universal to justice processes over grave crimes in general, and so we must seek comprehensive and systematic responses to them. This is especially true given that survivors of CRSV often have also been subjected to other grave crimes. Platforms and initiatives on CRSV have the potential to facilitate such transformations.

At the same time, better standards can be implemented in practice today. To contribute to this, we have compiled a set of practical tools: international documents and reports, memos, and advice for specialists in a handy 'pocket guide'.

These are materials that we have developed together with Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice with the support of the Canadian Embassy, as well as sources of international law, as well as manuals and guides created by other organisations, etc.