Ukraine: Update to UKR20615.E of 27 April 1995 on the protection available to victims of spousal abuse (January 1998 - April 1999)
| Publisher | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | UKR31662.E |
| Cite as | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ukraine: Update to UKR20615.E of 27 April 1995 on the protection available to victims of spousal abuse (January 1998 - April 1999), 1 April 1999, UKR31662.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab6810.html [accessed 21 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A 3 December 1998 ITAR-TASS article states:
Authorities in Ukraine's capital have opened the first asylum for women who have suffered from physical abuse in the family, a newspaper reported on Thursday. The newspaper Kiyevskiye Vedomosti (Kiev News) said the asylum is located in a suburban district. The address is kept in secret, it said, adding that it uses leased hostel space and is guarded by four security officers. According to asylum director Galina Gondarchuck, it admits women(victims of violent family quarrels(following an interview with a psychologist. The interview is arranged via a hot line. Women can also consult a psychiatrist and a lawyer. Kiev ambulance service daily responds to calls linked with household quarrels which involve stabbing and beating.
A 12 February 1999 ITAR-TASS article states:
Ukrainian women are uniting against male cruelty and violence. Sources in the regional administration of Lvov, Western Ukraine, told Itar-Tass that one of the first crisis centres for women 'Women for Women' opened here with the help of American sponsors. Similar centres for women suffering from cruel treatment by men will soon open in Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk. According to sources in the Lvov centre, one in ten Ukrainian women have been victims for physical or moral violence and one-third of them have tried suicide. A shelter for women will open in the Rovno region where four to five rapes are registered every day. The shelter will provide courses of psychic and medical rehabilitation and offer legal advice to women.
No additional information on the protection available to victims of spousal abuse in Ukraine could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
ITAR-TASS. 12 February 1999. "Itar-Tass CIS and Baltia News Digest of Thursday, February 11." (NEXIS)
_____. 3 December 1998. Raisa Stetsyura. "Ukraine Opens First Asylum for Maltreated Women." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
Electronic sources: IRB databases, Internet, NEXIS/LEXIS, REFWORLD, WNC.
Resource Centre country file on Ukraine. January 1998 - February 1999.
Transitions [Prague]. May 1998 - February 1999.
WIN NEWS [Lexington, Mass.]. Winter 1998 - Winter 1999.
Unsuccessful attempts to contact oral sources.
