"Invisible crime": how many cases of sexual violence by occupiers are recorded in Ukraine
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 71 criminal proceedings have been initiated for sexual violence committed by Russian invaders. The youngest victim was only 4 years old and the oldest was 82.
The deputy interior minister of Ukraine, Kateryna Pavlichenko, said this.
According to her, specialised police mobile teams have been working in all the de-occupied territories since 2022 to detect and document sexual crimes against civilians. And also tell about the types of assistance that victims can receive.
In general, mobile groups operate in 8 regions: Donetsk, Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolayiv, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv and Kherson.
The mobile teams include: police officers who have previously responded to cases of gender-based violence, investigators, juvenile police officers, prosecutors and psychologists. In addition, workers of social services and health care institutions are involved in the work of mobile groups in the de-occupied territories," the deputy minister said.
According to her, at least 89 victims of sexual violence by the occupants have been found. Among them are not only women, but also men and children. 10 cases of sexual violence against children have been recorded.
Think about it: the youngest victim of sexual violence was only 4 years old, and the oldest was 82 years old. Most of all, 40 such crimes, were documented in the right-bank Kherson region, liberated from the occupants, among which the police identified 24 male victims, to whom the occupants used sexual violence, - said Kateryna Pavlichenko.
At the moment, the National Police is investigating 54 cases of sexual violence by the occupants. In some cases there were several victims. In total, law enforcers have investigated 71 criminal proceedings since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Investigators have already identified 19 Russian military officers who have been informed in absentia of suspicion under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for violating the laws and customs of war, including international conventions and treaties," the deputy minister said.
However, according to the official, the real number of offences may be much higher. This is due to the fact that some territories of Ukraine are still occupied. Also, not all victims dare to talk about their experiences, which is why sexual violence is often called an "invisible crime".
Victims usually avoid communicating with law enforcement agencies. This may be due to many factors, such as a desire not to mention traumatic events, fear of the return of the occupiers or concern for the safety of their relatives who may be in the temporarily occupied territories. Fear of social judgement is also an important factor," she explained.
Kateryna Pavlichenko notes that we will learn about sexual violence by the occupier even after 10 years. Since victims need time to decide to tell, such crimes have no statute of limitations.