Domestic violence incidents in Ukraine have increaed dramatically since the start of armed conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The Kyiv, Ukraine office of the international women’s rights organization La Strada recently said the organization’s hotline has received over twice as many calls about domestic violence in the first four months of this year as compared to the same time last year. Women who call the hotline report that previously stable family relationships have turned violent as husbands return home from the fighting.
According to La Strada, Ukraine lacks an adequate number of shelters for women victims of domestic violence and their children. The organization also worries about a further escalation in violence against women, including sexual violence in territories occupied by separatists, as the conflict in Ukraine continues.
Compiled from: ‘Men Return Completely Changed’: Ukraine Conflict Fueling Surge In Domestic Violence, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty (April 26, 2015).