Domestic violence is increasing in Ukraine with the country in its third year of war against Russian invaders.
According to Ukraine’s internal affairs ministry, police registered more than 291,000 cases of domestic violence across the country in 2023, up a fifth on the previous year. This year’s total is likely to be much higher as there was a 56% increase in just the first two months of 2024, with Massimo Diana, from the UN’s Population Fund which monitors gender-based violence, saying the true extent of the problem is greater.
“Numbers at times do not tell the full story. [They] are only indicative of the number of filed reports. We need to put the numbers into the larger context to understand the problem,” he was quoted as saying by the Guardian newspaper.
Wartime stresses such as being displaced, losing one’s home, disruption to family life, poverty and the psychological impact of shelling and missile attacks have amplified Ukraine’s existing problem with domestic abuse.
Ivanna Kovalchuk, who works on gender-based violence at the International Medical Corps, commented: “We find that women are less likely to complain when it [domestic violence] involves war veterans. Some even apologise if they do because they feel that it might not be an appropriate time or that their personal situation is not comparable to the war in the country.”
Volunteer social worker Lubov Nedoriz said: “Our boys are returning from the battles
