Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civil Initiatives helped SEMA Ukraine to establish its own NGO

23 січня 2023


Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civil Initiatives helped SEMA Ukraine to establish its own NGO

A regular meeting of a group of women who suffered from sexual violence during the war took place on January 15-16 in the Carpathians. This time, the survivors decided to formalize their civic activism and establish the organization SEMA Ukraine. The women participated in the meeting both offline and online (including those who had evacuated abroad for the duration of the hostilities). 


At the constituent assembly, the activists elected the head of the organization (Iryna Dovhan) and 6 board members. In the near future, SEMA Ukraine plans to submit official documents for registration. The legal support in this process is provided by the experts of the EUCCI. 


"For three long years we have been helping this women's group to form a community. We started 8 years ago by searching for victims and documenting cases of sexual violence. Later on, women got to know each other, attended trainings and study trips and gradually formed a group of like-minded people... I am glad that now, in their relations with the authorities and in front of the public, women victims of sexual violence will be represented by representatives of their own community, united in NGOs," says Volodymyr Shcherbachenko, head of the Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives.


Having decided on the directions in which SEMA Ukraine will develop, the participants took part in the training. The lawyer of the EUCCI introduced the participants to innovations in Ukrainian legislation that will allow women who survived captivity to receive additional financial payments from the state.

A significant part of the second day of the meeting was devoted to the participation of SEMA Ukraine members in the project "Public Assessment of Accessibility and Quality of Medical Services for Survivors of Sexual Violence during the War". With the help of human rights defenders from the EUCCI, SEMA representatives will assess the quality of services declared in state hospitals for SGBV survivors.


Traditionally, in addition to meetings and serious discussions, the participants of the offsite meeting had the opportunity to enjoy the Carpathian landscapes and celebrate the founding of the organization. 


The event was held with the financial support of the Denis Mukwege Foundation.

https://totalaction.org.ua/news/221