On 20-21 November, International Forum “Let’s Unite! Let’s Invest in Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls” as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign was held at National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”. The purpose of the forum is to discuss practices of combating domestic violence, gender-based crimes and child protection in war. The event was held with the support of the European Union Advisory Mission to Ukraine and with the participation of European experts.
The university was visited by a powerful delegation from the European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine: Maura O’Sullivan, Deputy Head of EUAM, Ove Urup-Madsen, Head of the Mobile Unit, Anette Schwitzke, Gender Adviser in Operations, Christopher Elliott, Criminal Investigations Organised Crime Advisor, Arsenijs Mihejevs, Senior Adviser on General Policing EUAM, and others. They discussed the key challenges related to violence in the context of Ukraine's military realities. The forum was also joined by regional representatives of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the Poltava and Kharkiv regions, Vladyslav Nosenko and Oksana Cherviakova.
Rector of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”, Professor Volodymyr Onyshchenko expressed his gratitude to the international partners for their significant contribution to the development of the dialogue on countering violence and promoting humanistic values in the conditions of war. He emphasised that the university is grateful to the representatives of the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine for their effective cooperation, which covers many areas aimed at improving the quality of education, strengthening legal capacity and social support. International trainings and educational events for students help future professionals integrate European principles into their knowledge.
The Poltava Polytechnic team highly appreciates EUAM’s contribution to the development and strengthening of various aspects of human rights activities, integration of European standards and promotion of Ukrainian-European cooperation.
In her welcoming remarks, Maura O’Sullivan, EUAM Deputy Head of Mission in Ukraine, emphasised the importance of the event and the discussion of current issues in the field of preventing and combating violence, stressing the need for the international community and national institutions to join forces to effectively address these challenges. She noted that cooperation and exchange of experience are key elements in implementing strategies aimed at protecting the rights of women and children, especially in the context of military conflict. Informing about the types and methods of violence, as well as ways to prevent it helps to reduce violence. She is grateful to the rector of the university for understanding the need to hold such forums.
Ove Urup-Madsen, Head of Mobile Unit at The European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine, thanked Rector for supporting the mission's initiatives and progressive development of cooperation. He emphasised that EUAM would continue to support all the aspirations of Poltava Polytechnic aimed at implementing European standards of raising legal awareness and developing new approaches to solving current social challenges.
Vladyslav Nosenko, representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the Poltava region, noted that discussing effective mechanisms for preventing and combating violence and assisting victims of sexual violence are among the main areas of work of the Ombudsman in Ukraine. Oksana Cherviakova, representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the Kharkiv region, added that counteracting domestic, gender-based violence and violence against children in the context of military conflict involves communication and interaction with victims of violence, as well as psychological support.
The forum was held in the format of two strategic sessions. The first day of the event featured three discussion panels.
The first panel discussed gender equality policy and challenges in the era of war. Marharyta Trypolska, Regional Coordinator for Gender-Based Violence at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), spoke about the development of a system of services for survivors of violence and elaborated on successful cases of work in this area.
Olena Panova, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Protection of the Population of Poltava Regional Military Administration – Head of the Department for Social Services and Family Policy, reported on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for men and women and creating new models of support for the population. She emphasised the importance of interagency cooperation in addressing issues related to gender-based violence.
Olena Dubynka, Head of the Gender Centre of Poltava Polytechnic, shared her scientific approach to overcoming stereotypes, building zero tolerance to discrimination and strengthening gender-oriented approaches in society. She presented successful cases of working with young people in this area to the forum participants.
Nataliia Deriabina, coordinator of the Centre for Assistance to Survivors in Poltava, reported on interaction with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), providing comprehensive support and assistance to such persons, psychological assistance, legal advice, and medical care. She noted that with such a comprehensive approach, the centre’s team tries to meet all the needs of a person in order to speed up their return to normal life.
At the second discussion panel, international and Ukrainian speakers discussed issues related to sexual violence and its impact on society. Anette Schwitzke, Gender Adviser in Operations at the European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine, noted that conflict-related sexual violence is prosecuted and investigated as an international crime.
Olena Demianyk, Head of the Psychological Support Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Poltava Region, Yuliia Onyshchenko, psychologist at the Kharkiv Human Rights Group, Arsenijs Mihejevs, Senior Adviser on General Policing at the European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine emphasised the need to integrate the efforts of the state, NGOs and international partners to address the current issues of preventing and combating domestic and gender-based violence, with a special focus on the protection of children in the context of military conflict.
Forum participants presented and discussed tools to support children at the third discussion panel.
The second day of the event was held in the format of trainings. At the beginning of the meeting, Christopher Elliott, Criminal Investigations Organised Crime Advisor at EUAM Ukraine, spoke about international experience in investigating violence against children and expressed his full support for the implementation of this experience in Ukraine.
The second day of the forum was devoted to practical cases of solving issues in the field of preventing and combating violence, and discussing the role of education in fostering a culture of non-violence.
Such events allow us to unite the efforts of all stakeholders to jointly counteract violence, protect victims and create conditions for a secure future in Ukraine.
The cooperation between the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine and Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic confirms the important role of the university as a centre of innovation and cooperation with international partners to solve the current issues of Ukraine.
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National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
