- Her Royal Highness met with survivors of sexual violence, internally displaced women and volunteers who are helping their communities cope with the trauma of the invasion.
- Two years after Bucha’s release, the Duchess of Edinburgh also paid tribute to those who lost their lives during the Russian occupation.
Today, [Monday 29th April] The Duchess of Edinburgh becomes the first member of the royal family to visit Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, to show solidarity with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and torture, and in part of his work as the UK’s prevention champion. Initiative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Program on Women, Peace and Security.
In Ukraine, the Duchess of Edinburgh met survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and torture survivors who bravely shared their stories, as well as children who have now been safely returned to Ukraine, after being separated forcefully from their families and deported by Russia. as part of a sustained campaign to erase Ukrainian culture.
Her Royal Highness also met with President Zelensky and First Lady Zelenska to discuss how best to support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and women peacebuilders who have a critical role to play in ensuring that recovery and the reconstruction of Ukraine is effective and sustainable.
Addressing the Conference on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) last month, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh said:
Survivors, here and around the world, have spoken so courageously about their experiences.
They are the strongest advocates who remind us all that we must not turn our backs on the horrors of this crime, we must never forget the survivors.
-Instead, we must stand with all survivors to achieve justice and comprehensive redress, and ensure that this crime is not an accepted part of the conflict.
Their rights and their voices must be at the heart of all our efforts to put conflict-related sexual violence in the history books.
During the visit, the Duchess of Edinburgh paid tribute to those who lost their lives in Bucha, two years after its liberation from Russian forces, and visited the ‘Road of Life’, a bridge that has become a key of the Ukrainian resistance. when it was blown up to prevent Russian troops from moving towards kyiv, it later became a vital route for people fleeing Russian occupation.
Her Royal Highness also demonstrated her support for Ukrainian women who played an important role in the conflict and community recovery, during a meeting with female volunteers who are helping their communities deal with the aftermath of the attacks by organizing mental health care activities for children.
Since 2022, the UK has pledged more than £4.7 billion in non-military support to Ukraine. This includes more than £660 million in bilateral aid that prioritizes the needs of women and girls, for example by funding vital services for survivors of gender-based violence, as well as working with the Office of the Prosecutor general to place survivors at the center of the approaches. to prosecute conflict-related crimes of sexual violence.
The UK is working with international partners to hold those responsible for atrocities to account. As well as providing financial and technical assistance to the International Criminal Court, we have deployed UK experts specializing in war crimes and conflict-related sexual violence to the region, and established an expert advisory group on war crimes. atrocities with the EU and the United States.
