2022

  

 

Report on European Advocacy Tour SEMA Ukraine November/December 2022

 

        In the context of a project funded by the German Federal Government, and in collaboration with the Polish Women Council and its partners, SEMA Ukraine held a European Advocacy Tour taking place in November and December of 2022. As part of this tour SEMA members Iryna Dovhan and Alisa Kovalenko travelled to the UK, Belgium and France between the 25th of November and the 6th of December 2022 to attend various meetings and events. Furthermore, other events have been attended remotely. This report gives an overview of those meetings and events attended, the message that was shared by SEMA Ukraine during these meetings and events, and the follow-up that has resulted from the tour.

 

More pictures of the tour can be found here.

Key messages:

       As Iryna and Alisa were able to attend many meetings and events of various natures, their advocacy strategy depended on the audience in question. Nonetheless, a number of key messages were the common thread for all meetings and events:​

  • In their capacity as SEMA Ukraine members, Iryna and Alisa act as spokespersons for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Ukraine, both those who have been during the conflict in Eastern Ukraine that has been going on since 2014 and those that were victimised more recently after the full-fledged invasion in February 2022.
  • Based on their own experiences and those of other survivors, victims of CRSV usually are in need of urgent assistance, especially financial support to satisfy immediate needs and psychological support. While services are generally available in Ukraine, there is a large issue of underreporting due to fear of being stigmatised and reprisals, mistrust of the quality of available assistance, the experience of other violations, and the perceived need to report to authorities to gain access to supportive services.
  • SEMA Ukraine and the Mukwege Foundation are currently actively working with the Ukrainian government to improve the quality of the available supportive services for victims of CRSV and reduce underreporting by closely working with communities. SEMA Ukraine is especially key in reducing mistrust and hesitation among victims to seek the assistance they need through peer-to-peer support, and in reducing stigma by speaking out and denouncing CRSV as survivors.
  • In addition to their ongoing activities, SEMA Ukraine has the medium to long-term goal to obtain justice including reparations and punishment of perpetrators. To do so, Iryna and Alisa stressed the importance of documentation of crimes, which is lacking in areas still occupied or recently de-occupied. They mentioned the work of SEMA Ukraine in this regard, and the support needed to continue this.
  • In order for SEMA Ukraine to continue to support recent victims of CRSV to get access to the care they need and continue to combat underreporting, audiences were asked for continued political support for Ukraine and justice for survivors, as well as financial support for survivors in general, and SEMA Ukraine in particular. Finally, Iryna and Alisa asked for continued military support for the Ukrainian government, seen as the precondition for the war – and alongside it, conflict-related sexual violence – to end. 

London

Roundtable ‘Sexual Violence as a weapon in Russia's war against Ukraine’ at the Ukrainian Institute of London (26 November) 

Description:  This event was a roundtable discussion co-organised by the Ukrainian Institute London, Birkbeck, University of London, SEMA Ukraine, International Council of Polish Women and Cambridge Families for Ukraine on the use of CRSV in the conflict in Ukraine. Both Iryna and Alisa were part of the discussion panel along with Mukwege Foundation programme manager Apolline Pierson and researcher Anna Kvit.

 

Event report: While the turnout was relatively small with around 30-40 persons, the audience was very engaged and asked many questions. 

 

Useful contacts:

 

 

 

 

Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Conference (28-29 November)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Description: The UK Foreign Secretary hosted an international conference as part of their Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative with the aim to strengthen the global response to and prevention of CRSV, and strengthen justice and enhance support for survivors. The 2-day conference welcomed over 800 delegates, including high-level participation from a range of governments, international organisations, civil society and survivors. Both Iryna and Alisa attended the conference, and Iryna was a speaker during the following sessions:​

  • The breakout session: ‘Five years of SEMA: the successes and challenges of the global movement of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence’ alongside other SEMA members
  • The plenary session: ‘Prevention of conflict-related sexual violence’ with Kim Thuy Seelinger, Special Advisor on CRSV to the ICC Prosecutor, Hon. Mme. Bineta Diop, African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, Hon. Mrs. Angelina Jany Teny, Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, South Sudan, and Hon. Mr. Ivica Dačić, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Serbia

            Event report: During two days, many opportunities for high-level networking arose, including meeting Dr Mukwege, and the Ukrainian delegation (including the First Lady, and representatives of civil society organisations and the Prosecutor office, amongst others). While this was a global conference on CRSV, the Ukrainian war featured as a priority for many of the delegates present.

During this trip in London, Alisa and Iryna were also able to network with fellow SEMA members and other survivors, coming from more than 14 countries.

The UK proposed a new political declaration on CRSV to strengthen global action which was adopted by more than 50 states. During the conference, State representatives were asked to submit their national commitments in writing outlining the steps they will take to tackle CRSV. Ukraine committed to promote the implementation of the Framework of Cooperation between the government and the UN on the prevention and response to CRSV. 

 

Useful contact:

Brussels

Meeting  with MEP Fred Matic  (30 November)

       Description: Fred Matic is a Croatian member of the European Parliament (Socialists & Democrats) who especially focuses on helping survivors of sexual violence in his parliamentary work, including his work as the rapporteur of a 2021 Report on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health. He had previously planned on meeting with SEMA Ukraine within the context of a parliamentary mission to Lviv, in June 2022, but could not join due to Covid-19.

 

  Meeting report: As a former detainee in Serbia in the 90s, and former Minister of War Veterans in Croatia, Matic feels closely about the issues raised by SEMA Ukraine and mentioned similarities between the wars in Ukraine and in the Balkans. He mentioned being ready to share his experience with Ukraine, especially regarding laws for veterans and civilian victims of war (including CRSV). He is also willing to support SEMA Ukraine advocacy in the future.

Useful contacts: ​

Meeting with Belgian MP Goedele Liekens (30 November)

 

             

          Description: Goedele Liekens is a member of the Belgian Federal Parliament that has been at the forefront of the follow-up of the resolution adopted in May 2022 to open an international criminal investigation into acts of sexual violence committed in the context of the armed conflict in Ukraine. She initiated a parliamentary mission to Lviv, Ukraine in 2022 with the aim to collect parliamentary evidence of the use of rape as a weapon of war in Ukraine, during which she was introduced to SEMA Ukraine.

          Meeting report: During the meeting, MP Liekens mentioned that following the mission to Lviv in June 2022, the Resolution was passed in the Belgian parliament and the Ministry of Justice is now working on sending a team of forensic experts to Ukraine to train Ukrainians on gathering evidence for crimes of CRSV (in Feb. 2023).

          Follow-up action: As a direct follow-up to this meeting, MP Liekens has submitted written parliamentary questions to the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Federal Cultural Institutions, requesting updates on various points related to the implementation of the Belgian resolution and UNSC resolution 1325.

          Useful contact: Dieter Goovaerts (Parliamentary assistant) kamer@goedele.be 

 

 Meeting at European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights (30 November)

Description: The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights is a network of parliamentarians across Europe who are committed to protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights. Remi Bak is a programme coordinator of the network that was involved in the organisation of the June 2022 Ukraine mission MP Liekens was part of and helped set up the meetings with SEMA Ukraine during this tour. 

 

Meeting report: The meeting took place in Ukrainian/Russian with several staff of EPF. Amongst the topics discussed were EPF plans to:

  • Organise a mission to Sarajevo to bring lessons learnt from the Balkans war to Ukraine (and the possibility to invite SEMA Ukraine)
  • Organise a follow up delegation of MPs to Ukraine in Kyiv and Lviv in 2023.

 

Follow-up: Organise follow up call with Remi to discuss about EPF plans and potential synergies with SEMA Ukraine; including on advocacy for a law in Ukraine to recognise CRSV survivors so that they benefit from the same rights/benefits as veterans and former Prisoners of War, where EPF could help gather support from European MPs in their network.

Useful contacts: Remi Bak, Programme Coordinator for Europe, remi@epfweb.org, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights (EPF)

 Congress of Polish Women 2022 ‘Feminist Ukraine’ (3 December) 

         Description: The Congress of Polish Women is an event organized once a year by the Belgian-Polish feminist association "Elles sans Frontieres", consisting of a conference part, workshops and an atelier as well as a fair. The topic of the 2022 congress was ‘Feminist Ukraine – new geopolitical sisterhood’, especially exploring the role of gender in the ongoing conflict. SEMA Ukraine was invited to attend the congress and speak during two panels. Iryna spoke during the session ‘Our bodies as battlefields. Sexual violence in armed conflicts (the global case of Ukraine)’, which discussed topics such as rape as a weapon of war, sexual violence in times of armed conflict and social tensions, war and the culture of rape, patriarchy and sexuality, and control of women. Alisa was a speaker in the session ‘War and gender. Feminist militarism and defense in history’, which discussed intersections between the discourse of emancipation and that of political violence.

       Meeting report: The congress allows for the renewal of feminist energies while at the same time advancing research on aspects of feminist philosophy. Starting from the current context of the war in Ukraine, its main subject, this meeting of specialists, activists and political personalities, allowed to evoke the perspective of the reconstruction of Ukraine by taking into account the rights of women and their future place in public life.

 

Useful contacts: Agata Araszkiewicz  agata.araszkiewicz@yahoo.com

Paris

The programme in Paris was organised by ADDP (Association Defense de la Democratie en Pologne), one of the partner organisations of the Polish Women Council. 

 

 Press conference for French press ( December) 

    Description: This press conference gathered journalists from France Info, France Culture, Courier International, and Le Monde. Alisa and Iryna were able to respond to their questions first collectively, and then providing details separately. See the final section on Press Engagement for the articles that came out of this press conference.

Representatives of NGOs were also present to meet Iryna and Alisa, including Medecins du Monde and We are not Weapons of War. 

 

 

 Meeting at Family Planning International Office with various feminist organisations (1 December)

          Description: The meeting took place in the confederal headquarters of the Family Planning, a feminist and popular education movement that campaigns for the right to sexuality education, contraception, abortion, and equal rights between women and men. It fights all forms of violence and discrimination. In the presence of Sarah Durocher, national co-president of the FP and member of the High Council for Equality (HCE), Alice Ackermann, board member and feminist activists.Meeting report: Among the issues raised: increasing public awareness of war violence, strengthening advocacy, mobilising the network of regional agencies to scale up actions. Support for the ADDP collection in favour of SEMA Ukraine.

 

Follow-up action: Communication on SEMA's activity around the celebration of 8 March 2023.

Contact: Alice Ackermann, alice.ackermann@planning-familial.org

 Meeting with French Senator Jean-Yves Leconte (1 December)

     Description: Jean-Yves Leconte represents the constituency of French citizens living abroad. Having lived 20+ years in Poland, he is very invested in the Ukraine war, including on the importance of ensuring proper investigation, documentation, and justice for war crimes, including CRSV.

 

Meeting report: Mr Leconte mentioned the importance of strengthening national justice mechanisms before establishing a special international tribunal in Ukraine (which Zelensky’s government is currently advocating for). According to him, this is especially important as Ukraine is still not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC. Mr. Leconte also demonstrated his willingness to support SEMA Ukraine by connecting them to the ‘right’ persons, including President Macron’s advisor Isabelle Dumont (ex-Ambassador of France to Ukraine), members of the European Commission in Brussels, as well as  Eurojust.

Meeting and photo session with Anaïs Oudart (2 December)

Description: Anaïs Oudart is a French photographer working on the topic rape as a weapon of war. Among other projects, she previously created the photo series ‘L’etreinte du serpent’ (‘The embrace of the snake’), portraying the support offered to survivors of CRSV in Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is currently working on a photo series to be exhibited at the Saint Germain Photo Festival in Paris in November 2023 to denounce rape as a weapon of war. Iryna and Alisa were photographed and interviewed regarding their journey as a survivor to be included in the new photo series.

 

Meeting report: Anais is interested in organising a trip to Ukraine to take more pictures of survivors and would like to collaborate with SEMA Ukraine in that regard.

 

Useful contact: Anais Oudart, anais_oudart@icloud.com

 

 Meeting with French National Assembly members including MPs Anne Genetet and Benjamin Haddad (2 December)

 

Description: Ludwig Grosser works for the European/International Affairs department of Renaissance – the political party of French president Emmanuel Macron (formerly known as La Republique en Marche). Eric Pestel is an independent advisor to the party, with a focus on European affairs.

 

Meeting report: The meeting took place in the new HQ of Renaissance. After Iryna and Alisa shared their message, both Ludwig Grosser and Eric Pestel mentioned that – while Renaissance cannot do a lot to directly support SEMA Ukraine – they remain available to ‘amplify’ their messages, including by sharing advocacy messages and relaying them to the government. 

 

 

 Meeting at Ligue des Droits de l’Homme in the presence of LDH president Patrick Baudouin (2 December)

   

Description: The meeting took place at the LDH headquarters in the presence of Maryse Artiguelong from FIDH and Jean-Robert Suesser, vice-president of the European Civic Forum and member of the FIDH board.

 

Meeting report: Patrick Baudoin, a human rights lawyer, was very involved in international institutions, having participated in the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in 1998 and following cases on mass crimes (genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity). He presented his views on the existing procedures and the difficulties in bringing information on war crimes to fruition. The creation of a specific jurisdiction is not, in his view, the most appropriate way to deal with war crimes in Ukraine.

 

Follow-up action: Arrests for sanctions for the 124 ongoing proceedings for which the perpetrators are known.

Meeting at the Human Rights League (HRL) in the presence of HRL President Patrick Beaudoin (December 2)

Description: The meeting took place at LDH headquarters in the presence of Marise Artigelong from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Jean-Robert Suesser, Vice President of the European Civil Society Forum and member of the Board of FIDH.

 

Meeting report: Patrick Beaudoin, a human rights lawyer, has been active in international institutions, participating in the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in 1998 and trying cases of mass crimes (genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity). He presented his views on the existing procedures and difficulties in proving war crimes. In his opinion, the creation of a special jurisdiction is not the most appropriate way to combat war crimes in Ukraine.

Follow-up action: Arrests for sanctions in 124 proceedings in which the perpetrators are known.

 

Documentary screening ‘Alisa in Warland’ and debate at Sorbonne University (2 December, Paris)

   Description: The event was dedicated to the screening of Alisa's documentary Alisa in a Country of War at the Maison de l'Ukraine Cité Internationale, followed by a discussion with film experts.

Meeting at UN Women with Céline Mas and Fanny Benedetti (5 December)

  Description: UN Women France is the public interest association that relays the priorities of UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

UN Women France supports women's civil society organisations working with war-affected populations as well as providing essential services for refugee women and girls in over 100 countries, including Ukraine and Moldova. Céline Mas, following her presentation at the conference "Women and Conflict: Towards a Feminist Diplomacy", organised in Paris on 23 November by the EESC's Delegation for Women's Rights and Equality (DDFE), in partnership with the High Council for Equality between Women and Men and UN Women France, to inform her of the visit of Iryna Dovgan and Alisa Kovalenko from SEMA Ukraine. 

Meeting report: Iryna was received at the headquarters of UN Women France in the presence of Céline Mas, President, and Fanny Benedetti, Director. Iryna expressed her belief that justice is not being done for crimes of sexual violence committed by Russians. A message from Iryna was recorded to be broadcast by UN France Women.

Follow-up action: Information on the registration and current actions of SEMA Ukraine in order to explore ways of concrete support.

Meeting with Agathe Hamel, President of the Délégation aux droits des Femmes et à l'égalité of Le Conseil Économique Social et Environnemental (5 December)

   

Description: The Delegation for Women's Rights and Equality is responsible for monitoring, promoting and following up on the inclusion of gender in the work of the EESC (Economic, Social and Environmental Council). Agathe Hamel, its president, who is also the representative of the French Youth Forum within the EESC, is an activist for equal rights and is involved in the creation of social links and local economies in the regions, particularly in rural areas.

Meeting report: Iryna was received at the Palais d'Iéna, the EESC headquarters, and was given a quick tour of the prestigious building. The discussion took place over lunch in the panoramic restaurant with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Agathe Hamel mentioned the conference where she spoke, "Women and conflicts: towards a feminist diplomacy", as well as an action "The bus for women" as a possible intervention in the field of conflicts and displacement of refugees. The objective in France: to identify sources of funding, to influence opinion and decision-making circles.

Follow-up action: The objective in France to be followed: to identify sources of funding, influence opinion and decision-making circles.

Meeting with Catherine Giboin and Sophie Zaccaria of the Fondation Médecins du Monde 

 

        Description: Created at the end of 2014 under the aegis of the Fondation de France, the Fondation Médecins du Monde aims to support the association's partners and research projects in France and internationally. The foundation's mission is to improve the rights and health of the most vulnerable women (poverty, presence in conflict zones, refugees, etc.) in a sustainable manner. To achieve this, it supports civil society organisations, local communities and members of coalitions in which Médecins du Monde participates in its work; innovation and field research; training in good practice and disseminating operational and research results. 

     

Meeting report: The meeting with Catherine Giboin and Sophie Zaccaria (who also attended the press conference) provided an opportunity to discuss the organisation of SEMA Ukraine and its actions to help the populations of the territories recently liberated from the Russian occupation, particularly women survivors of detention, torture and sexual violence. The health situation in the rural and eastern territories was also discussed.

Follow-up action: The Fondation Médecins du Monde wishes to provide financial support to SEMA Ukraine. A project will be drafted with the help of the ADDP and the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation detailing the activities and tasks to be funded.

 

Meeting with French Lieutenant General Michel Yakovleff (5 December)

Description: Lieutenant General Michel Yakovleff has carried out missions in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Senegal, French Guyana and almost all the Balkan countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovina (within SFOR).  He has held responsibilities in the Military Committee at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. After a 40-year military career, General Yakovleff has been transferred to the second section (reserve). He is a frequent commentator on the war in Ukraine on several mainstream media in France, including LCI.

Meeting report: The informal meeting gave rise to an exchange of views between the General and Iryna Dovgan, notably on resistance and the fate of the civilian population.

Visit to the Primo Levi Centre with the Association de soins aux victimes (5 December)

Description: The Primo Levi Centre is an association dedicated to the care and support of victims of torture and political violence exiled in France. In its care centre, it welcomes more than 400 people from nearly 50 different countries every year. The Primo Levi Centre raises awareness and trains professionals working with exiles to promote appropriate care. It also carries out advocacy actions to defend access to care and the right to asylum.

Meeting report: Sybel Agraly, the director, and Nathalie Dollez, a psychologist and psychoanalyst, were present at the Primo Levi Centre. People arriving in France from Ukraine will have suffered the trauma of war and exile. Their suffering, often invisible, produced by violence, separation and mourning, is complex. They can become long-lasting in the absence of comprehensive care. The decisive role of professionals and volunteers in the reception of victims and in their reconstruction. Official bodies, large NGOs and psychologists in Ukraine are not always trained to provide this kind of comprehensive care. The psychological condition of the 2014 survivors has worsened during the current war. The importance of such a work of collecting testimonies in the conditions of war, in real time, is stressed, it has never been done. The conviction that justice will eventually be done.

Meeting at Jean-Jaures Foundation with Amandine Clavaud (6 December)

Description: The Jean-Jaurès Foundation is a think tank, a field player and a history centre working for progress and democracy in the world. Among its observatories, the creation of the Gender Equality Observatory in November 2018 marks an increased commitment of the Foundation in this field, on subjects such as the defence of parity, women's representation in politics, the fight for professional equality, the fight against violence against women, and the economic empowerment of women with the aim of contributing to the public debate and submitting recommendations and proposals to the public authorities.

Meeting report: Iryna Dovgan was received at the Foundation's headquarters by Amandine Clavaud, Director of the Gender Equality Observatory. During the exchange, Amandine Clavaud expressed her wish to be kept informed of SEMA Ukraine's action.

 

 

Remore events

       Side event to the ICC ASP by the Women’s Initiative for Gender Justice ‘A sustainable model for responding to conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine’ (7 December, the Hague, remote participation by Iryna)

Description:

    From 5 to 10 December 2022 the annual session of the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court took place. As a side event to the Assembly, the Women’s Initiative for Gender Justice organised a session on the recently launched CRSV  strategy by the Ukrainian Office of the Prosecutor General.

Iryna was invited to give her perspective on the situation in Ukraine regarding the current challenges for survivors, the efforts of SEMA Ukraine to address CRSV, and how to take a survivor-centred approach in working towards accountability for CRSV. As Iryna was unable to attend the event in person, she spoke to the audience through a pre-recorded video message.

 

Useful contact: Alix Vuillemin, Advocacy Director Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice,   alix.vuillemin@4genderjustice.org

 

 

 

Workshop ‘Needs and perspectives of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence’ at the Gender-Based Violence and Women Peace and Security Event of the Delegation of the European Union to Japan (15 December, remote participation by Iryna)

Description: As part of their ‘Project for enhancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in and with Japan in the post-pandemic era’, the Delegation of the European Union to Japan organised a 2-day workshop on the topics of gender-based violence and women, peace and security. The workshop aimed to generate a constructive discussion and exchange of good practices among key stakeholders from Japan and the EU, including representatives from governments, civil society organisations and international agencies as speakers and panellists and was open to a broader public audience. Iryna was invited to remotely facilitate a workshop called ‘Needs and perspectives of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence’.

Useful contact: Laura PASQUERO, Course Director, Addressing sexual violence in conflict and emergency settings, Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies  Laura.Pasquero@unige.ch

Press engagement

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