Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid reports the Russian armed forces are allegedly weaponizing rape, the United Nations has complained about the sexual violence they have perpetrated on women, girls, men, and boys, in Ukraine ever since they invaded it on February 24
Pramila Patten, the UN’s special envoy to study sexual violence against women and girls in war-torn Ukraine, told the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday these cases remain under-reported, and the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country is turning into a human trafficking crisis.
There is a gap between the UN’s resolutions aimed at preventing rape and other sexual attacks during conflicts and the reality on the ground for the most vulnerable, women and children, she said.
As of June 3, Patten said, the UN’s human rights office had received 124 allegations of conflict-related sexual violence. Of them, 97 involved women and girls, 19 men, and seven boys, and the gender of a victim remain unknown.
Verification is continuing, the media reported her as saying.
Patten said Ukraine’s prosecutor general informed her in May that a national hotline reported cases of conflict-related sexual violence between February 24, when Russian troops invaded the country, and April 12. These cases included rape, gang rape, pregnancy following rape, attempted rape, threats of rape, coercion to watch an act of sexual violence committed against a partner or a child, and forced nudity.
The history of conflicts shows that sexual violence is the most consistently and massively under-reported violation, Patten said, adding that is why it is critical to reinforce prevention and protection and provide services to victims from the onset of any armed conflict.
Reacting to her statement, Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia categorically rejected it and condemned all allegations of sexual violence by Russian troops as lies. He said Russia’s soldiers are subject to strict rules prohibiting torture and violence against civilians.
Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said his country’s law enforcement bodies, the media, and non-governmental groups continue to report many cases of sexual violence committed by Russian troops. Even minors and elderly women were among the victims of Russian rapists and fatalities have also been registered.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield cited credible reports of atrocities committed by Russia’s forces against civilians, including horrific accounts of sexual violence. Allegations show Russia’s soldiers sexually assaulting women and girls, as well as men and boys, she said.
Patten, who also visited reception centers and border crossings in Poland and Moldova, gave several anecdotal accounts of trafficking attempts and expressed serious concern at the lack of consistent vetting of accommodation offers and transportation arrangements for Ukrainians fleeing the fighting.
She said over 90 percent of those refugees are women and children.
As the humanitarian crisis is turning into a human trafficking crisis, Patten said, there is an urgent need for cross-border response by humanitarian partners, law enforcement agencies, border forces, immigration officials, and political leaders as well as a regional compact.