Скачать или смотреть Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Wartime and Recovery: The Role of Local Communities in Ukraine

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered one of the largest humanitarian crises in Europe since World War II, with millions displaced, infrastructure destroyed, and social systems under immense strain. Amid this chaos, gender-based violence (GBV) has surged, driven by displacement, economic hardship, the collapse of protective institutions, and the psychosocial toll of war. Women, who comprise a majority of the displaced population, are particularly vulnerable. As Ukraine looks toward recovery and EU integration, addressing GBV is not only a humanitarian imperative. It is also central to building a resilient, inclusive, and just society.

How can Ukraine’s recovery processes integrate effective and community-rooted strategies for preventing and addressing GBV? What tools and resources do local authorities need to meet the specific needs of survivors in wartime and postwar conditions? How can international donors and partners support sustainable, gender-sensitive recovery at the local level?

This panel will discuss how the fight against GBV must become a pillar of Ukraine’s recovery. Drawing on recent fieldwork and case studies, the discussion will explore how the country’s communities are positioned to lead grassroots responses to GBV and what targeted support they require to succeed. It will also reflect on lessons learned in other conflict-affected contexts and consider how Ukraine can develop a recovery framework that rebuilds, transforms, and leaves no one behind.

Speakers:

Khrystyna Kit
Head, Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association “JurFem”

Galyna Kotliuk
ReThink.CEE Fellow, GMF

Lara Scarpitta
Senior Adviser on Gender Issues, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Moderator:

Zsuzsanna Végh
Program Officer, GMF