A 14yearold girl who was gangraped by members of the Russian army in Bucha, Ukraine, became pregnant after the abuse, said psychologist Oleksandra Kvitko, who told the story on Radio Svoboda with the consent of the girl’s parents. She works at the ombudsman hotline for psychological support.
Today is the 64th day of the invasion of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine states in its report that the Russian armed forces are “increasing the pace of the offensive operation.”
According to the psychologist, the victim’s family plans to continue the pregnancy after treating doctors warned that having an abortion now could prevent her from conceiving in the future.
According to her own statements, the psychologist is currently working with five teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 who became pregnant after being raped by Russian soldiers.
As of Tuesday, the hotline for cases of this type had received 103 complaints in the newly liberated areas, she said. The victims include not only women, but also men and small children. The youngest victim she works with is 10 years old.
The director of the Center for Civil Liberties of Ukraine, Oleksandra Matviychuk, pointed to another problem on social media. According to her, abortion legislation is very strict in Poland, where many Ukrainian women go as refugees amid the conflict.
“Ukrainian women who were raped by Russians and left in Poland are not allowed to have abortions there. Abortion in cases of rape is allowed under Polish law, but there is no criminal prosecution yet. Psychologists in Poland convince her that life is wonderful. They’re destroying her life,” she said.
Ukrainian women who were raped by Russians and left in Poland cannot have abortions there. Abortion in cases of rape is allowed under Polish law, but there is no criminal case yet
Psychologists in Poland convince her that a new life is wonderful. They destroy both of their livesOleksandra Matviichuk (@avalaina) April 13, 2022
In early April, Polish authorities announced that they had taken in more than 2.5 million refugees from Ukraine, most of them women and children. It is impossible to know exactly how many of them were raped by the Russian occupiers and became pregnant, but there are such cases, Oleksandra told the radio.
Congresswoman Kira Rudyk, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, said in an interview with CBS News on the 13th of this month that sexual violence is “systematic in all Russianheld territories” and that she has heard reports of women getting pregnant raped by their parents.
Kira said Russian forces used rape as a means to terrorize people because Ukrainians resisted the invasion. She said she is working on data collection to hold criminals accountable.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reported in a speech to the Lithuanian parliament that “hundreds of rapes have been registered” since the Russian invasion began on February 24. Among the victims, according to Zelensky, are teenage girls and toddlers, as well as a baby.
Zelenskyy receives the Secretary General of the United Nations (United Nations), António Guterres today. On Tuesday (26th) Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whom he asked for a ceasefire in a bid to end the war.
Guterres has already visited towns near Kyiv that were occupied by Russian troops until March, such as Borodianka, Irpin and Bucha, which was ravaged by massacres of civilians.
“When we see this horrific place, I understand the importance of conducting a thorough investigation and establishing responsibilities,” Guterres said in Bucha. “I ask Russia to agree to cooperate with the ICC [Tribunal Penal Internacional, que abriu investigação sobre os ocorridos].” The Russians deny killing civilians in Bucha.