Fundraiser to provide urgent medical help for survivors of sexual assault during the war in Ukraine
Trigger Warning: This text has content related to sexual violence, torture, and other traumatic events.
Graphic by: instagram.com/vermax_arts
The Purpose of this Fundraiser
We are raising money to provide urgent medical care to women and girls who have survived sexual assault, rape and torture at the hands of the Russian army in Ukraine.
We are deeply disturbed by the horrors of the war in Ukraine, and by what Ukrainians have been forced to endure. Over the past eleven months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, we have tried to aid Ukraine in whatever way we could – helping financially as well as collecting and sending supplies such as power generators, warm clothes, tourniquets, and other essentials. A critical element of any fundraiser for us is finding reliable partners on the ground in Ukraine, who can be trusted and have a track record of effectively helping specific people or projects. When we made contact with an organization that focuses on such a sensitive and traumatic subject as wartime sexual violence, we couldn’t remain indifferent. We wish to do everything we can to help these young women recover.
The context behind this project:
- We must help victims of sexual violence in Ukraine By Marija Pejčinović Burić, Council of Europe Secretary General https://rm.coe.int/0900001680a9211e
- Conflict-related sexual violence. Report1 Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination Rapporteur: Ms Petra Bayr, Austria, Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group http://rm.coe.int/0900001680a93b49
- Война в Украине: никакой амнистии для виновных в изнасилованиях https://news.un.org/ru/story/2022/06/1425192
- Зверства российской армии в Украине: “Истории всех изнасилованных очень похожи. Может, у них приказ такой был или план…” https://cripo.com.ua/main/zverstva-rossijskoj-armii-v-ukraine-istorii-vseh-iznasilovannyh-ochen-pohozhi-mozhet-u-nih-prikaz-takoj-byl-ili-plan/amp/
- Прокурори зафіксували 154 факти сексуального насильства з боку військових Росії https://suspilne.media/337632-prokurori-zafiksuvali-154-fakti-seksualnogo-nasilstva-z-boku-vijskovih-rosii/
- ‘Fear Still Remains’: Ukraine Finds Sexual Crimes Where Russian Troops Ruled https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/05/world/europe/ukraine-sexual-violence-russia.html
About the organization the funds will be sent to, and the actual recipients:
We are partnering with an organization that is currently helping 40 girls and young women (between 11 and 21 years of age) who were victims of sexual violence during the war in Ukraine. These girls were born in Bucha, Irpen, Izyum and Kherson. They are now in a military hospital in severe physical and emotional conditions and need medical and psychological assistance. Some girls are pregnant. Eleven of them need gynecological operations and facial plastic surgery. Money for three victims out of eleven has been collected and they are currently receiving treatment. They have all become orphans due to the war.
Our help will consist of several stages in order to help 8 girls. As a first step, we will collect funds for urgent medical operations for three girls. Urgent medical care is just the beginning. Rehabilitation in such situations takes years. Here are the short stories of these three girls. We do not include their names to preserve the privacy of the victims:
1. Twelve-year-old girl living in a Ukrainian family. Russian soldiers broke into their house; the father was chained to a radiator while the mother was raped by ten people in front of the whole family. The father lost his mind from seeing this; the mother died. After the mother died, the soldiers raped the daughter.
2. Thirteen-year-old girl living with her parents in a Ukrainian city. A missile fired by the Russian army hit their yard, killing the parents in front of their children. While neighbours were burying the parents, Russian soldiers grabbed the girl and raped her, resulting in a pregnancy.
3. Soldiers raped an eleven-year-old girl after they killed her parents. She became pregnant but has since received an abortion. After the trauma she went through, she did not speak for five months.
Fundraising goal
5000 CAD + 5000 CAD + 5000 CAD
The initial goal for our fundraiser is $5000 CAD. These funds will cover the expenses for medical operations for three of the eight girls. We hope to raise funds for the other survivors if we surpass this.
PLEASE SHARE AND SUPPORT!
Accountability
Due to the sensitive nature of the project, we cannot reveal the names of the survivors or the specifics of the procedures they must undergo. We understand this makes accountability difficult. However, we are in direct contact with the psychologist working with the young women. In addition, we will provide reports on the spending of funds to the best of our ability.
Who can vouch for this project:
Pastor Vitaliy Shelemba and New Canadian Baptist Church (NCBC)
Pastor Vitaliy has personally worked with the organization running this program on many projects, and has vouched for their effectiveness and reliability.
NCBC address: 1012 Chem. Saint-Clare, Mont-Royal, QC H3R 2N1