Russian ‘military strategy’ and a ‘deliberate approach to dehumanise the victims,’ according to UN ambassador Pramila Patten in an interview with AFP, including rapes and sexual assaults that are attributed to Moscow’s soldiers in Ukraine. In response to a question on whether rape was being used as a weapon of war in Ukraine, the UN special envoy on sexual assault told AFP on Thursday that ‘all the signs are there’.
‘It’s plainly a military plan,’ she continued, ‘when women are imprisoned for days and raped, when you start raping small boys and men, when you see a series of genital mutilations, when you hear women speak about Russian soldiers carrying Viagra’. Additionally, it is obvious that the victims were being dehumanised on purpose when they reported what was said during the rapes.
According to a UN study published in late September, the organisation has confirmed ‘more than a hundred occurrences’ of rape or sexual assault in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February. According to the testimony obtained, the age of the sexual assault victims spans from four to 82 years old, and the investigation ‘proved crimes against humanity committed by the Russian soldiers,’ she stated.
She stated that although men and boys are also victims, women and girls constitute the majority. But she went on to say that ‘documented incidents are simply the tip of the iceberg’. Since sexual violence is a quiet crime that is usually underreported, it is very challenging to have trustworthy data during an ongoing conflict, and the figures will never accurately represent reality, she added.
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