Ukrainian women who fled war face widespread violence – report
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has reported in a new study that Ukrainian women who have received protection in EU countries are frequently subjected to physical, sexual and psychological violence.
The FRA report states that since 2022, the EU has granted protection status to 2.5 million women and girls.
Ten per cent of the women surveyed by the FRA said they had been interrogated by Russian troops. Of these, 51% were physically humiliated and 29% sexually humiliated.
A total of 25% of women from Ukraine have experienced physical or sexual violence since the start of Russia's war, and 54% have been physically or verbally attacked in the EU when speaking Ukrainian in public.
Another 51% of women have been sexually harassed since the beginning of the war, and 23% have been sexually harassed online. Very few reported such incidents, either to organisations supporting people from Ukraine (3%) or to victim support services (3%).
A total of 24% have encountered potentially exploitative offers of transport, housing or work. Among those in employment, 36% worked without a contract, while 24% were underpaid or not paid at all.
Ten per cent of respondents did not feel safe in their accommodation, 79% struggled to make ends meet, and 27% had no access to mental health services to cope with war-related trauma, despite their rights to work, housing and social support.
Only 13% reported the most serious incidents of violence in the EU to the police.
The FRA stresses that EU member states should encourage victims to report crimes and ensure that they are able to report incidents, including through third parties. This also applies to international crimes committed outside the EU.
The report includes recommendations on what EU member states should do to better support victims of armed conflict.
The findings are based on interviews with 1,223 women who fled Ukraine after the start of Russia's full-scale aggression on 24 February 2022. The interviews were conducted between March and June 2024 in Czechia, Germany and Poland.
Recently, Czech President Petr Pavel warned politicians against portraying Ukrainian refugees in Czechia as a burden.