Kyivans join global rally to end violence against women

Every
third woman in the world is suffering from physical or sexual violence
according the latest United Nations study. In Ukraine, the situation isn’t much
better. Around 45 percent of Ukraine’s population (45 million) suffers violence
– physical, sexual or mental – and most of them are women, according to the
report. Street women are the most vulnerable category. Around 40 percent of
them suffer from sexual violence, with 25 percent being under 18 according to
the Ukrainian Foundation of Public Health, a charity.

“Ukraine
really has an unacceptable level of violence, mainly by men and mainly due to
high level of alcohol consumption,” says Nuzhat Ehsan, UN Population Fund
representative in Ukraine. “The problem (here) is really high. And it’s not a
situation for us to relax at all.”

Apart
from the problem of alcohol in Ukraine, loopholes in the legislation contribute
to the problem of domestic violence, according to Ehsan.

“A
lot needs to be done in terms of legislation as there are a lot of loopholes
that allow people to get away (with the crime),” she says. “You can violate
women and still if you are a high-level official or from a high-level official
family, you can get away with it,” she points out.

Last
year’s case of 18-year old Ukrainian Oksana Makar, who died three weeks after
she was raped by three young men and then set on fire in Mykolaiv, is one of
the brightest examples of problems raised by UN representative. The nation was
particularly outraged by the case not only because of the horrendous nature of
the crime, but also because police initially released two of the suspects,
whose parents were former regional government officials. The situation led to
protests around the country. Half a year after the case, the Mykolaiv court
finally sentenced two men to 14 and 15 years in prison and one to life
imprisonment.   

“The
system of getting justice from the police (and) judges in Ukraine needs to be
strengthened,” Ehsan says adding that the UN will keep pressing the Ukrainian
government to adopt the necessary amendments. 

Apart
from Kyiv, the rally was held in more than 190 countries today. Launched in
1998 in the US the movement fighting for the end of violence against women is
getting more and more followers around the globe. This was the first year that
Ukraine participated.

Kyiv Post staff writer Anastasia Forina can be reached
at forina@kyivpost.com