Police run against violence in Eastern Ukraine
In conflict-affected Eastern Ukraine, a fun run brings police and community residents together as “Violence Has no Excuse” campaign kicks off to raise awareness of violence against women.Date:
Local police, their families and residents of Kramatorsk in Eastern Ukraine joined together in a race on 13 May to raise awareness of gender-based violence in conflict-affected areas of the country. As part of a larger “Violence has no excuse” campaign, the fun run promoted zero tolerance for discrimination, and helped build trust between police and communities.
“Violence against women is a violation of human rights,” said Olga Osaulenko, Programme Coordinator at UN Women in Ukraine. “It is important that we raise awareness, as a step to dealing with violence in conflict-affected communities.”
A recent UN Women survey in conflict-affected areas in Ukraine revealed a worrying tolerance for gender-based violence: 60 per cent of respondents said that women’s behaviour and clothing can provoke violence, and 44.5 per cent said that women are to blame if they are assaulted.
“During conflict and displacement, stress and life’s difficulties result in an increased number of gender-based violence cases,” said Liliya Zolkina, head of the Family and Youth Department of Donetsk Oblast administration.
Lack of trust between law enforcement and local communities hinders police reform. Effective cooperation between local authorities, law enforcement and communities is vital for effective response and prevention of gender-based violence.
“I was positively surprised at the number of city residents who participated in the run,” said Volodymyr Strashko, head of the Youth and Family Department of the Kramatorsk City Council.
He ran the race with his colleague Maryna Nastenko, who said: “It was incredible to see how our police officers supported everyone during the race. Some kids could not catch up, so the officers came back to finish together with them.”
“I hope that running with us gave people the feeling that we are always here to help, even with sensitive issues like gender-based violence,” said Yana Vasylko, from newly recruited patrol police.
The race was organised by UN Women Ukraine, in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, the Donetsk Oblast Administration and the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health. The event was part of the joint UNDP and UN Women programme on the Restoration of Governance and Reconciliation in Сrisis-Affected Communities in Ukraine. The initiative is funded by the European Union.