Multi-site scoping study on sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls in public spaces in the Eastern Ukraine

Violence against women and girls is a global problem with many countries increasingly concerned about its effective prevention and response, including Ukraine. An overwhelming majority of women and girls in Ukraine, just like in other countries, have faced various manifestations of violence during their lives, including sexual harassment in public spaces.

The UN Women “Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces for Women and Girls” global initiative is the first-ever programme that develops, implements, and evaluates tools, policies and comprehensive approaches on the prevention of and response to sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls across different settings. In the framework of this initiative, UN Women Ukraine conducted a comprehensive assessment of the risks and experiences of sexual violence encountered by women in conflict-affected communities of the Soledar and Toretsk in Donetsk region and Novoaidar and Zolote in Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine.

This publication has been produced by the UN Women Office in Ukraine in the framework of The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP), which is implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Twelve international partners support the Programme: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden & Switzerland.