Jack Straw says Refugee Week is chance to address sexual violence in Ukraine

'It takes a great deal of courage for survivors to acknowledge suffering, come forward and demand justice'

Jack Straw praised the UK government for its efforts to tackle the issue of rape as a weapon of war. EPA

The former British foreign secretary Jack Straw says the conflict in Ukraine demonstrates that safeguards against sexual violence being used as a weapon of war are failing to protect terrorised civilian populations.

The Labour politician said a “mounting body of evidence has demonstrated that summary executions, rape and torture have been used against civilians in areas under Russian control since the Kremlin’s invasion”. He added that “there appears to have been little attempt to hide the crimes”.

“The psychological violence inflicted by sexual assault is such that it takes a great deal of courage for survivors to acknowledge their suffering, come forward and demand justice,” Mr Straw wrote in the UK's Independent newspaper. “Speaking out itself is a deeply traumatic ordeal. Those who do come forward do not always receive the support they deserve.

“Together with military and economic aid, the West and, if we can achieve this, the entire international community must provide humanitarian assistance to safeguard civilians, support survivors’ access to legal and medical services, and work to prevent future atrocities.”

Mr Straw praised the UK government for its efforts to ensure that the threat was being addressed, both in providing resources and launching the Murad Code that sets out guidelines on how to interview survivors of sexual violence. Named in hour of Yazidi survivor and campaigner Nadia Murad, the initiative aims to support evidence-gathering processes within targeted communities.

Ukrainian refugees arrive in Europe - in pictures

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  A Ukrainian refugee waits to be given shelter in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. AFP

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  Campaigner Rend Platings, right, embraces her Ukrainian best friend Kristina Korniiuk as they are reunited outside her home in Cambridge. Ms Platings went on hunger strike until MsKorniiuk's UK visa was approved and painted her house in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. PA

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  Ukrainian women attend a job-seekers' meeting aboard the 'Mediterranee' ferry, where they are living while it remains docked in Marseille, southern France. AFP

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  Refugee schoolchildren are given Ukrainian primary school education in Berlin, where they also have the choice of attending German schools. Getty

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  Teacher Katja with Artem, Sofia and Alexander, refugee schoolchildren who are receiving Ukrainian curriculum primary school education in Berlin, Germany. Getty

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  Ukrainian refugee Alikhan Yusupov, 10, on his first day at Caldecote Primary School after his family fled their home in Kharkiv and moved to Cambridgeshire, England. PA

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  Roman Starkov plays with nephew Alikhan as they settle into their new home in Caldecote, near Cambridge, after they fled Kharkiv. PA

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  Ukrainian refugee Egor Svichkar, 3, whose family now live with a British host. PA

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  Ukrainian refugees Yaroslav Kryvoshyia and Irina Kryvoviaz, with her son Sasha as they settle into their new home in North Moreton, Oxfordshire. PA

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  An Ukrainian refugee woman sews in Strasbourg, France, part of project for Ukrainian refugees to find jobs after fleeing the war. AFP

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  Ukranian refugee Karolina, 16, laughs as she prepares for a party at the La Ville-aux-Dames camp site, her family's temporary home in La Ville-aux-Dames, central France. AFP

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  Ukrainians queue outside a refugee centre in Paris. AFP

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  Myroslava Perevalska (R), an artist who fled Kyiv, helps a Ukrainian girl paint Easter eggs in Berlin. Getty Images

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  The 'Beacon of Ukraine', a gathering at Markthalle Neun in Berlin, bringing together refugees and NGOs as well as showcasing Ukrainian culture. Getty Images

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  Larysa Biachenko, 40, who does not know if her house in Chernihiv is still standing, and Svitlana Lykhonos, 43, who was the owner of a hotel restaurant in Frankiusk, peel onions at a special cooking course run by the regional government to offer them a job opportunity, in Alicante, Spain. Reuters

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  A convoy of Ukrainian refugees who left Mariupol, accompanied by 17 volunteers, arrive at Juan Carlos I park in Madrid. EPA

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  Ukrainian refugees, who arrived in Italy from Lviv after two weeks of travel, are tended to in the reception centre of the Red Cross in Settimo Torinese, near Turin. EPA

“The UK has been one of the leading country donors to the Ukrainian crisis, committing nearly £400m for urgent economic and humanitarian support since the invasion and a further £10m Civil Society Fund to support Ukrainian organisations, including those helping victims of conflict-related sexual violence,” he said.

“In addition, the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, announced the deployment of a team of war crimes specialists, with experts in conflict-related sexual violence, to support the Ukrainian government in gathering evidence and prosecuting war crimes committed by Russian forces.”

Noting that sexual violence has been “virtually ubiquitous in conflicts around the world since records began” Mr Straw viewed the conflict in Ukraine as a harrowing reminder that the practice continues unabated as a tactic of modern-day warfare.

He held out some hope that a new UN framework of co-operation on the prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence would strengthen accountability for horrific crimes. With seven million Ukrainians having fled their country since February, Refugee Week provides an opportunity to spread this message more broadly.

“Crucially, we need the global donor community to stand in solidarity with Ukrainian authorities and UN entities to support the framework’s implementation if it is to have a lasting impact,” he added. “Let these significant occasions trigger reflection and renewed global commitment to join forces, ramp up efforts to achieve accountability for all such crimes, realise justice for all victims, and finally put a stop to sexual violence in conflict.”