Gender-Based Sexual Violence During the Military Conflict in Ukraine: Universal and Specific Sings

Abstract

The article examines the impact of the war on the actualization of various types of violence, among which gender-based violence occupies a prominent place. It is emphasized that for the first time since the Second World War, Ukrainian civilians are experiencing frequent acts of sexual violence, including rape by representatives of the armed forces of the aggressor country. This necessitates a sociological study of sexual violence, taking into account the peculiarities of the Ukrainian experience of the last ten years. The article identifies the general and specific features of sexual violence committed during the Russian-Ukrainian military confrontation, as well as the purposes for which it is used against Ukrainian civilians. The memoirs of victims of gender violence during the wars are analyzed, as well as interviews with experts and specialists in the field of sexual violence. It is noted that the peculiar feature of gender violence during the Russian-Ukrainian war, especially sexual violence, is the conditions under which it occurs. The author emphasizes that the "age of social media" and information technologies makes cases of sexual violence public. It is emphasized that the main purpose of various types of gender-based violence, including sexual violence, is to expand the arsenal of war, to replenish it with new "weapons" that can provide an advantage in the war. Based on the available data, the article identifies a number of characteristics of gender-based sexual violence perpetrated by the Russian army in Ukraine. In order to gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, a comparative analysis of the forms, methods, and purposes of violence committed during the Second World War and currently by the Russian army in Ukraine is carried out. It is concluded that an important area for further research on this issue should be the analysis of the conditions of gender-based sexual violence during the current Russian-Ukrainian war, in particular, the psychological trauma of victims of the violence, including those caused by the publication of cases of sexual abuse in social media, as well as the study of the causes and consequences of the silence of victims of gender-based violence during the war.