(Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC)
Shocking revelations about sexual violence amidst the Russia-Ukraine conflict have emerged from a recent UN report, prompting the World Council of Churches to call for accountability. The report highlights more than 1,000 documented cases, primarily implicating Russian authorities.
According to findings by the UN Human Rights Office, 89% of these acts of sexual violence were allegedly committed by Russian forces, predominantly against male prisoners of war. The report reveals that tasering the genitals is among the most reported forms of abuse, alongside accounts of rape with objects.
While male prisoners constitute the majority of victims, women in territories under occupation have also endured severe atrocities. Personal testimonies include a woman who faced repeated assaults by a Russian soldier, who claimed it would improve the treatment of her detained and tortured husband.
Another harrowing account describes a woman’s experience following the murder of her husband by Russian soldiers, who subsequently raped her under the threat of killing her in front of her young child.
Disturbingly, the age range of victims includes a four-year-old girl and an 83-year-old woman, both allegedly targeted by Russian personnel.
The report also notes that Ukrainian forces were responsible for 11% of the documented cases, with accusations primarily involving threats of sexual violence. Incidents reported include forced nudity, electric shocks, and sexual assaults, affecting mostly male prisoners of war.
Peter Prove, director of the WCC’s Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, emphasized, “The WCC condemns sexual and gender-based violence in all contexts, and this report on its incidence in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demands investigation and full legal accountability. Such acts are a sin, a war crime, and a crime against humanity.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
