Ukraine: Joint Stakeholder Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review 54th Session of the UPR Working Group of the Human Rights Council

During the third UPR cycle (2017), Ukraine received and supported recommendations on ratifying international human rights instruments and combating violence against women and girls, including those facing intersecting forms of discrimination. In 2022, at Ukraine’s request and in view of the “current exceptional circumstances,” the Human Rights Council postponed Ukraine’s review until the end of the fourth UPR cycle.

Nearly ten years after Ukraine’s previous review, this submission provides an update on the implementation of relevant recommendations on violence against women and girls. It recognises important progress, including the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and the adoption of consent-based definitions of rape and sexual violence. However, some recommendations on violence against women and girls remain only partially implemented, with persistent gaps in law, practice, protection and access to justice. 

The submission’s recommendations underscore the need to close persistent gaps in law, implementation, and protection, so that all forms of violence against women and girls, including conflict-related and technology-facilitated violence, are effectively prevented, investigated, and prosecuted, and survivors have access to support and justice.