Sexual violence against children has been recorded in the occupied territories

According to the information of the Prosecutor General’s Office, as of May 11, 2023, facts of sexual violence against 12 girls and one boy were recorded. The youngest child affected is 4 years old.

Dmytro Lubinets, the Commissioner for Human Rights, said this during a briefing.

Two girls aged 10 and 16 witnessed sexual violence in Kyiv and Kherson regions.

“When we vacate settlements, our employees and public organizations visit them. “We receive information from all territories about war-related sexual violence,” Lubinets added.

He emphasized that this does not show the whole terrible picture of today. Because many people remain silent and do not report to the police. Therefore, they are waiting for the parents to make a decision on opening a criminal investigation, only then the crime is officially recorded and accurate data can be calculated.

In addition, in the temporarily occupied territories, it is known about the facts of the abduction of children by the Russian military, they use violence against children as pressure on parents to force adults to perform work for the benefit of the Russian army or the occupying power, the Ombudsman said.

Every day there is information about the forced relocation of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories under various guises. They are sent to “health camps” or undergo medical examinations.