The rape hotline for victims of sexual assaults by Russian troops in Ukraine receives 400 calls in two weeks
- Ukraine’s rape hotline for victims of Russian troops received 400 calls in two weeks
- The five psychologists who run the hotline are “overwhelmed”
- Victims include adults and children, both male and female
- In Bucha, 25 victims aged 14 to 25 were “systematically” raped in captivity
A hotline for victims of rape and sexual assault by Russian troops received 400 calls in just two weeks.
Human rights ombudsman in Ukraine Lyudmyla Denisova said the line is so overloaded that the five psychologists who run it “cannot handle the load”.
The victims include adults and children, both men and women, some of whom were attacked while terrified relatives watched.
In Bucha, 25 victims aged 14 to 25 were “systematically” raped while held captive in a basement. Nine are now pregnant.
Bucha, the city north of Kyiv where Russian occupying forces committed atrocities against Ukrainian residents. A hotline for victims of rape and sexual assault by Russian troops received 400 calls in just two weeks
The line set up with Unicef received 400 calls between April 1 and April 14, when the Russians began withdrawing from the Kyiv region after a failed attempt to capture the capital.
Ms Denisova said: “Our five psychologists cannot cope with this burden.
“I have asked Unicef to almost double the number of psychologists to ensure that care is of good quality and there is no burnout, including the psychologists who receive calls like this day and night. And these cases are very terrible.”
Russia has denied allegations that it uses rape as a “weapon of war”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month: “Hundreds of cases of rape have been recorded, including those of young girls and very young children. Even from a baby.’