Reparations to be paid to survivors of wartime sexual violence in Ukraine

The first reparation payments are to be made in the next few weeks to survivors of wartime rape by Russian soldiers during the invasion of Ukraine, in a move that Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, called “an important step towards restoring justice”. Up to 500 Ukrainian survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are being identified and awarded with interim reparations this year, including financial, medical and psychological support. Zelenska said: “Reparations to victims of gross human rights violations, including victims of conflict-related sexual violence, are not just about economic support. It is an important step towards restoring justice. “And this justice is needed not only in Ukraine,” she said. “Justice for Ukrainian victims of violence is now a mirror for the world itself.” According to the Global Survivors Fund, which is administering the project with Ukraine using funds from donor governments, it will be the first time survivors have been awarded reparations during an active conflict. “Rehabilitation and compensation is an element of reparations, but what survivors find very important is acknowledgment,” said Esther Dingemans, director of the fund, which was launched in 2019 by the Nobel peace prize laureates Dr Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad to help survivors of conflict-related...