Russia’s war has now displaced a third of Ukraine’s population, U.N. agencies say, leaving children at particular risk of “trafficking and sexual exploitation.”
United Nations — Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday that there were “credible” claims Russian forces have committed sexual violence against children in Ukraine, as U.N. agencies said Vladimir Putin’s invasion had driven more than 6 million people to flee the country. The U.N. refugee agency reported the grim statistic, which, combined with the roughly 8 million Ukrainians who have been displaced within their country, means a third of Ukraine’s people have been forced from their homes. The war’s effect on Ukraine’s youth has been particularly devastating, and Britain’s U.N. ambassador said that appeared to extend to sexual violence committed against children by the invading forces. British Ambassador Barbara Woodward, citing the U.N. humanitarian agency, said at least 238 children were believed to be among the thousands of civilians killed since Russia launched its war, with 347 more injured.
“There are credible allegations of sexual violence against children by Russian forces”, Woodward added. “As others have said, mass displacement has and sexual exploitation.”
Last month, Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudyk that sexual violence was being used systematically “in all the areas that were occupied by the Russians.
