Compiled by: Sahar Yaghoubi
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has been portrayed as a catastrophe for women and girls, with incidents of sexual abuse tied to the war rising. Hrystyna Kit, co-founder of JurFem, the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association, has found herself battling a growing tide of violence against women.
As the Russian invasion undermines the security of Ukrainians throughout the nation, women and girls face a double threat. Ms. Kit states, “There is no question that no one feels secure as a result of Russia’s conflict against Ukraine, and women and girls are particularly less protected from gender-based violence.” Journalists, human rights groups, and law enforcement officials have reported rape — often gang rape — sexual torture, forced nudity, and other types of abuse.
The real scope of this violence is not yet known, Ms. Kit says, but what’s apparent is that its ramifications will be lasting: “We will have to grapple with the consequences of conflict-related sexual assault for many years to come.”
Nonetheless, women continue to face the pervasive violence of their own culture. She observes that domestic or sexual violence against women, especially in public spaces, has not eliminated. “People who were abusive and aggressive inside the family continue to perpetrate acts of violence.”
“It is impossible to make headway in the battle against violence against women when you are always fighting for your life and the lives of your children,” Ms. Kit adds.
Starting her law practice in 2007, Ms. Kit identified a crucial vacuum in legal aid for survivors of domestic abuse. “Because these are often latent offenses, there were few attorneys ready to accept such cases,” she explains. Domestic abuse is often seen as a private problem, and the judicial system generally places the burden of addressing such cases on the victims themselves.
Ms. Kit set out to fix this. “I want myself, as well as other women and girls in Ukraine, to feel secure and to know that if their rights are infringed, they [will] obtain effective protection, without prejudice, discrimination, or stigma,” she adds.
With the launch of JurFem in 2017, she made a huge step towards achieving this objective. The growing crisis has affected the organization’s recent work: cooperating with partners to guarantee that survivors of sexual abuse connected to war get protection and assistance from law enforcement and service providers. In April, they also began giving direct legal support to survivors through a legal aid hotline.
Ms. Kit states, “Only through experience and practice is it able to alter our attitude to researching situations of sexual assault.” Even with the highest legal safeguards, police and courts will not believe a victim. However, by connecting with law enforcement authorities and the courts, “JurFem attorneys may dispel existing preconceptions and guarantee victims’ access to justice.”
Though her personal advocacy work depends on her legal background and decades of experience, Ms. Kit stresses that you do not need specific skills or expertise to become engaged in a cause: “Everyone should fight to improve anything.”
She asserts that action requires community and concern: “unite, enlist the support of like-minded individuals and forces,” she suggests. “Take care of your safety and mental health, and do what you believe to be right; take care of yourself so that you may care for others.”
“It is particularly difficult to picture a society without gender-based violence now,” adds Ms. Kit. Would we be able to abolish gender-based violence if we weren’t able to avert this war?
She does feel that we may lessen its incidence by developing more effective response systems and prosecuting offenders. And she is optimistic for the future of Ukrainian women and girls: “Justice must be restored so this never occurs again,” she adds.
