OP-ED

Laryssa Horodysky and Melinda Haring: The issue Ukraine’s first lady should champion vocally

By Laryssa Horodysky, Melinda Haring.

Published Dec. 15, 2020 at 12:29 am

Women hold placards reading “If he beats you, he’ll go to prison” and “Women’s rights are human rights” at the International Women’s Day march in Kyiv on March 8, 2020, calling for more protection from gender-based violence and domestic abuse.

Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk

Being a woman in Ukraine is not easy, and it’s even more difficult in the Donbas. Women in this war-torn region of eastern Ukraine experience higher levels of gender-based violence at the hands of both state and non-state actors. Marginalized groups–older women, internally displaced women, and women and girls with disabilities–are in the highest risk categories.