UN receives over 150 reports of rape committed by Russian tros in Ukraine – envoy

This was stated by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Sexual Vience in Conflict, Pramila Patten, in a video address to the participants of the Second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Since February, the United Nations has received over 150 reported allegations of sexual vience, committed against women, girls, men, and boys. These include harrowing personal testimonies of rape at gunpoint and rape in front of family members, as a consequence of the viation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity by Russian forces," said Patten.

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She noted that sexual vience is a crime that is "chronically underreported," and that “these data only represent the extreme tip of the iceberg."

According to the special envoy of the UN Secretary General, this is one of the most destructive forms of vience, which during military conflicts is committed mostly against women and girls, but also against men and boys.

"It has lasting, harmful effects on victims, their families, communities, and societies. It shatters lives and livelihoods, with consequences that echo across generations," Patten stated.

The official noted that very often the needs of women and girls in situations of military conflict are sidelined and “treated as an afterthought.”

"We cannot allow this history of silence and inaction to be repeated in the context of Ukraine. The physical and psychogical health of survivors, their families, and communities hangs in the balance. Its restoration will require sustained pitical resve and resources to empower survivors and help them replace horror with healing and he," Patten concluded.