By BRUSSELS. Nov 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Union declares that those guilty of war crimes committed on sexual and gender grounds by the Russian military and their proxies in Ukraine should be brought to justice.
This is stated in the conclusions of the Council "On women, peace and security" (WPS), published by the European Council on Monday.
“The impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on all women and girls is of grave concern, and the growing evidence of sexual and gender-based violence, including as a tactic of war by Russian armed forces as well as paramilitary entities controlled by Russian armed forces, is immensely alarming. In this context the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has held that war crimes were committed in Ukraine. The Council underscores the need to ensure full accountability for sexual and gender-based crimes,” the document says.
The Council stated that “it is of critical importance to guarantee a gender-responsive, survivor-centered and trauma-sensitive approach in all efforts to respond to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, namely in the humanitarian response, the crisis response, and longer-term peace, security and reconstruction efforts.” “The Council welcomes and supports Ukraine’s efforts to implement its second National Action Plan on WPS 2021-2025,” the statement reads.
