UNWLA and WFUWO to Host Event on Evidence and Experiences of Russian Wartime Violence Against Ukrainians

Whippany, NJ – As the full-scale war passes a one-year mark, the Ukrainian American community, including women’s associations, is called to action. The agenda involves advocacy for a special international tribunal to prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression, genocidal violence, and heinous use of rape as a weapon of war. Our joint response involves educating ourselves and others about the Russian manipulation of the truth. Additionally, it includes supporting the associations of war crimes survivors and promoting initiatives for psychological healing.

The Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey will be the site of an upcoming event on Sunday, March 5, 2023, at 1:00 pm hosted by the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) and the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations (WFUWO). The event titled “Evidence And Experiences Of Russian Wartime Violence Against Ukrainians: Taking An Activist Stance” will highlight the experiences of individuals, both military and civilians, impacted by Russian violence in Ukraine. 

Among the speakers at the event are four women with extensive experience in dealing with the effects of Russian aggression on human rights: Oksana Hryhoryeva, Gender Advisor to the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Army, Iryna Dovgan, Head of the SEMA Ukraine network and board member of the Global Survivors Fund, Lyudmila Huseynova, a former civilian hostage, volunteer and activist, and Anna Olsen, a former senior combat medic with the 36th brigade Ukrainian Marines who was released on October 17, 2022, after being held captive. The speakers will be joined by Dr. Yevgeniya Petrova, Acting President and CEO of WFUWO, Dr. Martha Kichorowska Kebalo, Main Representative to the UN/s Economic and Social Council for WFUWO, Dr. Kateryna Levchenko, Ukraine Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy, and Dmytro Kaplun, Deputy Head, Office of Ukraine’s  Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, who will offer their introductory remarks.

The event will also feature a film titled “Sexual Violence of the Russian Army in Ukraine,” produced by the Youth Center of the Atlantic Council of Ukraine, the National Academy of the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Ground Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In three 20-minute installments, the film examines the complex history leading to the recognition of the criminality of sexual violence in the context of war.