Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains one of the gravest and most widespread human rights violations in modern warfare. It is used as a deliberate and systematic strategy of the aggressor to intimidate civilians, destroy social structures and weaken resistance.
UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013) and 2467 (2019) have formed the legal and policy framework for addressing CRSV, including the mandate of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
The Russian Federation continues to flagrantly violate international humanitarian law and the provisions of the above-mentioned resolutions by systematically employing sexual violence as a weapon of war in its ongoing full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, as of June 2025, 366 confirmed cases of conflict-related sexual violence have been documented, affecting 231 women, 134 men, including 19 children. These crimes include rape, sexual torture, forced nudity and other forms of violence that are organised and systematic and constitute a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
International monitoring mechanisms — including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, as well as fact-finding reports under the OSCE framework — have presented extensive evidence confirming the systematic nature of these crimes.
Conflict-related sexual violence is strictly prohibited by the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their additional protocols, which guarantee the protection of civilians, especially women and children, and prohibit torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, such actions are classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity, which have no statute of limitations. The perpetrators must be held accountable in accordance with international and national law.
Ukraine consistently fulfills its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which calls for the comprehensive protection of women from all forms of violence, including sexual violence used as a weapon of war.
In 2025, Ukraine holds the Chair of the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, which brings together more than 29 states and international organisations. As Chair, Ukraine emphasizes the urgent need to strengthen international solidarity, ensure accountability for perpetrators, provide reparations for survivors, and reinforce national justice systems.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly calls on the international community to join efforts in combating conflict-related sexual violence, to intensify support for survivors, and to ensure accountability for crimes that constitute unacceptable violations of human rights and international law. Only through joint efforts justice can be achieved, ensure the rehabilitation of survivors and prevent the recurrence of such crimes in the future.
The Russian Federation must be held fully accountable for its war crimes, including those related to sexual violence.