Victims of sexual violence by russian troops deserve justice, rehabilitation and compensation, — Kira Rudik on the ALDE Council resolution
russia uses sexual violence as a means of warfare, so the perpetrators of these crimes must be punished and the victims must be provided with everything necessary for rehabilitation. This is stated in the resolution, which was adopted by the absolute majority of ALDE Council delegates. The document was submitted by Ukrainian MPs, including the leader of the Golos party, ALDE vice-president Kira Rudik.
The resolution calls on ALDE and its member organizations to influence national governments of EU member states to hold the russian federation, including political and military leaders, accountable for sexual and gender-based violence committed against Ukrainians through a special international tribunal. And also create preliminary rehabilitation, support and compensation programs for victims of sexual violence during the war in Ukraine in close cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities and local non-governmental organizations.
«In the war against Ukrainians, russia spares nothing: it arranges massive terrorist missile attacks on civilian cities, tortures and rapes in the temporarily occupied territories. The use of sexual violence as a method of waging war is a war crime and both the military and political leadership of the aggressor country, and the perpetrators of these crimes must be punished. The victims of russian aggression and sexual violence during this war deserve justice, rehabilitation and compensation», — emphasized the leader of Golos.
Human rights groups and international observer missions have carefully documented the numerous atrocities committed by russian armed forces against the Ukrainian civilian population: the number of documented war crimes in Ukraine is approaching 40,000 and, unfortunately, is expected to increase. Since the beginning of the russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014, sexual violence has been one of the russian means of waging war. And after the full-scale invasion of the russian federation on February 24, 2022, the sexual violence committed by the russian armed forces against Ukrainians gained even greater scope.
