Reports of sexual violence committed by Russian military personnel against civilians and prisoners of war must be substantiated and demonstrate a pattern of systematic abuse in order for Russia to potentially be recognized at the UN level as a state responsible for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).
According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Kateryna Levchenko, the Ukrainian Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, stated this at a press conference in Kyiv.
“We must present evidence of numerous CRSV crimes. It’s important that we are cooperating with the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, which documents such cases. Undoubtedly, this work also involves law enforcement agencies and other international organizations,” Levchenko said.
The second crucial factor, she said, is proving that these crimes are systematic in nature.
“Sexual crimes against Ukrainians are supported by the Russian military leadership,” Levchenko said.
She stressed that after the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region, a unit implicated in these crimes was granted “Guards” status – a move that may indicate high-level approval of their actions.
She emphasized the importance of demonstrating that CRSV against Ukrainians has occurred since the beginning of the war in 2014.
Levchenko noted that it remains unclear whether Russia can be officially added to the UN’s so-called “list of shame” as a state perpetrating conflict-related sexual violence, but stated that Ukraine must do everything in its power to make it happen.
Levchenko earlier stated that two-thirds of sexual violence reports during the war had been submitted by male victims.
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Source: Russian command encourages sexual violence by its troops – government commissioner
