Chatbot "Helping victims of war-related sexual violence" works in Ukraine
Public the organization "La Strada - Ukraine" in cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine developed and launched a chatbot for victims of war-related sexual violence - @survivors_support_bot.
Sexual violence has become one of the tools used by the Russian military to demoralize and terrorize the civilian population.
As the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberate the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, more and more is becoming known about the war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers.
After the liberation of Kyiv region in March 2022, it became known about mass cases of sexual violence and rape of the civilian population, women, men and children by the Russian military. Now the same information is coming from the Donetsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions.
Many victims of war-related sexual violence are not ready to talk about what happened and report to law enforcement agencies, because this topic is very traumatic and difficult for a person who has experienced such an experience.
From February 24 to October 30, the National Hotline for Prevention of Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking and Gender Discrimination received 24 appeals from different regions of Ukraine about sexual violence by the Russian military.
Today, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has information on more than 150 cases of crimes of sexual violence committed by the Russian military, but these are only those for which they have testimonies from the victims.
Today, it is very difficult to say exactly how many people have been affected by such violence. This is facilitated by the impossibility of obtaining information from temporarily occupied territories and territories where active hostilities are taking place. Victims also often do not seek help because they do not identify themselves as victims. In the vast majority, this happens in cases other than rape forms of sexual violence, as well as when sexual contact took place with the conditional "consent" of the victim as a result of intimidation, blackmail or pressure.
That is why the NGO "La Strada - Ukraine" in cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine launched a chatbot in which you can find important information:
- What is war-related sexual violence;
- Where to turn for help and support;
- How to document and report a crime.
Also, with the help of a chatbot (anonymously if desired), you can provide information about the crime, which will be transferred to the Office of the Prosecutor General, through an online form.
In the Help/Support section you can find contacts and information about organizations that provide psychological, legal, medical, social and humanitarian assistance to victims of war-related sexual violence.
You can also get psychological support and legal advice right away by going to the chatbot on the Telegram channel of the National Hotline for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking and Gender Discrimination in the "Psychological Consultation" and "Hotlines" sections.
The hotline works on the principle of anonymity and confidentiality.
For media inquiries:
Olga Zinchenko, communications manager of NGO "La Strada - Ukraine"
o.zinchenko@la-strada.org.ua
Telegram: +38 063 437 84 58
Українська