Europe sends Emergency Contraceptives to Rape Victims in Ukraine

The International Foundation for Planned Parenthood (IPPF) has sent 2,880 packs of "sex pills" to Ukraine. Women and girls who have been sexually abused by the Russian army need emergency contraception. In early April, the Ombudsman of Ukraine Lyudmila Denisova announced 9 officially declared cases of women who were pregnant after being raped by Russian soldiers.

Abused, humiliated and ignorant - "what if I'm pregnant?". Dozens, hundreds, and perhaps more women and girls are in a dramatic situation after being raped by Russian soldiers. Their number will be determined after the war. If left without help and support, the alternative is to commit suicide or give birth to a child by someone they do not know and who has invaded their lives with shells and missiles. Volodymyr Zelensky's army needs planes, tanks, howitzers and ammunition, Ukraine's women need access to a post-sex pill and medical abortion drugs.

The IPPF has issued calls for action on its website and urges the EU, European governments, the UN and all government donors to protect Ukrainian women in the spirit of the European Parliament Resolution of 24 June 2021 on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Article 32 of this Resolution provides in particular for the right to emergency contraception without a prescription, in accordance with WHO standards.

The situation in Ukraine is already repeating similar dramas in Bosnia, Congo or Syria, where the rape of women and girls is used as a weapon of war. It is important for the IPPF that victims receive prompt and adequate assistance wherever they are - in the area of ​​hostilities or in the countries where the majority of Ukrainian refugees are scattered. "The time frame for treating victims of sexual violence...