The EU-funded “Resilient Together” project presented its achievements in improving the system of response to conflict-related sexual violence

Today, in Kyiv the team of the “Resilient Together” Project presented the achievement of two years of project implementation aimed to improve the system of response to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Ukraine, provide targeted support to survivors, and develop interaction mechanisms based on international standards and best practices.

The “Resilient Together” Project was launched in October 2022. At that time Ukraine was only beginning to create the system of support to CRSV survivors. It was very important to launch this work at the regional level, where the specialised institutions have to know how to identify CSRV cases and how to provide practical assistance to those affected by CRSV.

The main project’s task was to train those who would further provide assistance and to show potential survivors where to go for assistance. Thus, educational component was combined with the communication & information campaign.

Trainings, study tours, developed thematic training programs – thanks to all these activities experts of specialized institutions involved in the system of providing support to CRSV survivors developed new knowledge and skills to further use them in practical work with CRSV survivors. Among them are representatives of police, health sector, social service, regional NGOs.

The project also worked on the creation and development of models of effective response to CRSV, supported the joint work of local authorities and public sector at the local level via grant program. In this work our partners from regional 1325 Coalitions helped a lot.

“The EU is proud to support Ukraine through the “Resilient Together” project. This initiative, driven by close collaboration between the government and civil society, ensures survivors receive the care and support they need, with a strong focus on a survivor-centred approach”, said Katarína Mathernová, Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine.

“These two years of our joint work and partnership showed us what comprehensive results we can achieve when we work together. Together with our partners we created and conducted training courses for various groups of specialists, some of these courses have been already integrated into the state system of professional development, the rest are available for the general public through educational online platforms. We conducted information campaigns and supported the developing of systems in providing assistance to CRSV survivors at the local level through grant programs. But what is most important, we together made the voices of CRSV survivors louder. Though the project is coming to an end, but the work continues. And we are very glad that our joint efforts allowed to form the basis for the next initiatives aimed at supporting CRSV survivors in Ukraine”, – commented Natalia Karbowska, director on strategic development of Ukrainian Women’s Fund.

Work with judges became another important component, in particular trainings and study visits. Based on international experience, the training course on CRSV issues was developed for judges, and 45 judges-trainers were trained during Training of Trainers sessions to further conduct trainings for colleagues and inform them on the peculiarities of work with CRSV survivors.

“CRSV is Russia’s weapon in this war. We must do everything to ensure that the criminals are punished and brought to justice, while CRSV survivors can receive justice and reparations. Now Ukraine is actively working at the international arena so that Russia’s crimes do not go unpunished”, – said Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy of Ukraine.

A lot of work remains in order to build a high-quality and effective system of response to CRSV cases and support for survivors.

In particular, there is already a developed legal basis for the development of such a system. Currently, the thematic draft law is registered in Ukrainian Parliament and is waiting for its review and approval. The adoption of this Law is the basis for further developing of a system and mechanism for paying reparations to CRSV survivors.

Background Information

The project is implemented by the Ukrainian Women’s Fund in partnership with the Civil Society Organisation “La Strada-Ukraine” and the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association “JurFem” as well as the Government Commissioner on Gender Equality Policy under the European Union financial support.

For media inquiries

Liliia Biletska, Communications Specialist at Ukrainian Women’s Fund, l.biletska@uwf.org.ua