Sexual violence against civilians and POW’s in Ukraine widespread and ‘abhorrent’
UN reports over 1,000 cases of sexual violence in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, with 89% attributed to Russian forces and 11% to Ukrainian authorities.
A UN human rights report documents more than 1,000 cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war in Ukraine from the invasion’s start to July this year. Violations include gang rape, genital mutilation, electric shocks, and beatings to genitals, recorded on both sides of the frontline. Russian authorities, including military and security services, were responsible for 89% of documented cases, while Ukrainian authorities accounted for 11%. The UN mission in Ukraine highlighted that sexual violence was particularly widespread among detainees held by Russian forces.
Sexual violence was especially prevalent among prisoners of war and civilians detained by Russian authorities, with nearly three-quarters of former POWs and almost half of detained civilians experiencing multiple incidents. The report noted that Ukrainian authorities provided the UN mission with unrestricted access to detention facilities, including prisoner-of-war camps. Most victims were men, particularly in places of detention, with many recounting deeply distressing experiences of torture and abuse.
The report details specific methods of sexual violence, including the use of a Soviet-era military field telephone known as a 'tapik' to taser genitals, with 155 cases (27%) involving this form of abuse at least once. Survivors described horrific acts such as rape with batons, forced penetration with cell door keys, and rape with shovel handles. Women and children were also targeted, primarily in occupied territories, with the youngest survivor being a four-year-old girl and the oldest an 82-year-old woman, both cases attributed to Russian forces.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed deep alarm at the prevalence of these acts and emphasized that they must stop immediately. He called on the Russian Federation, in particular, to take concrete steps to protect civilians and prisoners of war from all forms of torture, including sexual violence. Türk stressed that the violence continues amid ongoing conflict and must be addressed without delay.