News
Some 1,004 cases of sexual violence were documented from 24 February 2022, when Russia’s attack on Ukraine began, through the end of July this year.
Of these cases, 89 percent were attributed to Russian authorities - including members of the armed forces, the prison service, and the national security service. The remaining 11 percent were attributed to Ukrainian authorities.
The 20-page report, entitled “Sexual Violence in the Context of the Russian Federation Full-Scale Armed Attack against Ukraine,” is based on confidential interviews with hundreds of victims and survivors of sexual violence committed by both parties, and other relevant materials, including court documents and official records.
Most of the victims of sexual violence were men, particularly in places of detention, but women and children were also affected, primarily in occupied territory of Ukraine.
“The WCC condemns sexual and gender-based violence in all contexts, and this report on its incidence in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demands investigation and full legal accountability,” said Peter Prove, director of the World Council of Churches’ Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA). “Such acts are a sin, a war crime, and a crime against humanity.”
In 2022, the World Council of Churches’ Central Committee called on its member churches and ecumenical partners to condemn or reiterate their condemnation of “any form of violence against women, children and vulnerable people; [and] declare such rejection of the equal dignity of all people and such violence a sin.”
