EU Rights Body: "25% of Ukrainian Women Suffered Violence During the War"

39% of victims experienced violence in Ukraine
A significant share of perpetrators were Russian soldiers

After four years of war, an analysis by a European Union (EU) human rights body has found that one in four Ukrainian women has suffered physical or psychological violence.

According to AFP on the 24th (local time), the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released a report containing these findings the same day. The report is based on a survey and interviews with more than 1,200 Ukrainian women who fled the war and are now living in countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland.

Among the women surveyed, 25% responded that they had suffered physical violence, including sexual violence, since the war began in 2022. Of these, 62% experienced violence in the EU member state where they currently reside, and 9% were victimized while fleeing to the EU region.

On the 24th (local time) in Kyiv, Ukraine, a woman lays flowers at the memorial to the war dead in Independence Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Photo by AP Yonhap News

In addition, 39% of the victims had experienced violence in Ukraine, and a significant number of the perpetrators were identified as Russian soldiers. More than half, 51%, of Ukrainian women said they had been sexually harassed since the war began. However, one-third of the victims said they had not received mental health services to help them overcome their trauma. The report added that very few women who experienced violence reported it to the police or support organizations.

Furthermore, more than half of respondents, 54%, said they had faced negative reactions in public places after using the Ukrainian language. Such cases were found to be particularly frequent in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the same day, marking the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion, "We have preserved our independence and have not lost our statehood." In a post on social media, President Zelensky wrote, "Behind the words 'four years of war' stand millions of our people and their courage, and an almost unbelievable degree of endurance." He went on to say, "Putin has not achieved his goals and has not been able to subdue the Ukrainians," stressing that "he has not won this war."