Embedded Files
Kensley Farrar, Zoe Booth, Nazia Kazi, Jessica Jaconetti, Emma Griffin
Background
Background
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, but with the Russian military invasion on February 24th a sort of "Pandora's Box" was opened filled with new issues amidst the ones already occurring in the region. The 2014 annexation of Crimea is where the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine originated, and a rise of Russian backed-separatists in Donbas has only intensified the conflict. This tension, especially in the East, intensified Ukraine's wish to join NATO. Russia responded to this desire by threatening Ukraine both economically and militarily which stalled their joining the military alliance. Finally, on February 24th Russia invaded Ukraine as Ukranian desires to join NATO reached a climax. The invasion has triggered the displacement, or forced removal/movement, of millions of Ukrainians. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, "in just 5 weeks a quarter of the population of Ukraine has been forced to flee their homes. As of April, more than 4 million refugees have fled Ukraine, making this the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II." The top three countries that refugees have fled to are Poland, Romania, and the Republic of Moldova. "Another 6.5 million people have been displaced internally within Ukraine." These displacements affect men, women, and other gender minorities differently. This is because each of these gender identities experiences different obstacles and experiences due to their gender identity.
Displaced Ukrainian with her children at a shelter
How the Conflict Affects different Gender Identities
How the Conflict Affects different Gender Identities
In our video linked further down the page, the experiences of different gender identities are discussed including how displaced women are vulnerable to gender-based violence, how LGBT+ Ukrainians are impacted, and how men lose agency to leave borders. These are important to understand how displacement has different effects for different identities, but it is important to go more in depth to explore how identities that are often overlooked are impacted as well. It is important to note that the experiences of non-white Ukrainian residents are included in the Power Dynamics section.
What About Women Who Are Pregnant or Menstruating in the Midst of the Conflict?
What About Women Who Are Pregnant or Menstruating in the Midst of the Conflict?
Women face unique hardships that are often overlooked in times of conflict. Those who are of age to menstruate or are pregnant need special resources to ensure they are properly taken care of; just because a war is going on, it doesn't mean women's bodies can stop menstruating or that their pregnancies will take a pause.
Too many women have had to make decisions like Viktoria Pohrebna that no mother should have to make; she was forced to to decide whether to stay in Kyiv or leave her husband and home behind to deliver her twins safely in another country. In the end, only one twin could be saved and has had to spend months in the neonatal intensive care unit.
In this NBC report, doctors in Poland say they are "seeing higher rates of pregnancy complications, premature births and stillbirths among Ukrainian refugees due to severe physical and emotional stress and prolonged periods of limited access to health care."
In the same article, Dr. Andrew Weeks, who has studied the risks of war for pregnant women, said around 30 percent of all women typically develop complications during pregnancy, and another 20 percent need emergency care during labor. Most of these issues can be detected through routine prenatal checkups, but when medical care is delayed and complications are left untreated, pregnant women are at an increased risk of premature births and other issues.
The United Nations Population Fund has delivered 13 metric tons of reproductive health supplies, medicines and equipment to health facilities in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Zaporizhzhia to cover the immediate reproductive health needs of a population of 500,000 people. There Is much more that needs to be done for women who are pregnant or menstruating.
What About Young Boys and Girls Who Are Displaced Without Their Parents?
What About Young Boys and Girls Who Are Displaced Without Their Parents?
A UNICEF report from early March 2022 highlights that hundreds of thousands children had been displaced by the conflict, many of whom are unaccompanied by parents or guardians. The number of displaced boys and girls has significantly increased since the beginning of March as the conflict has spread creating a crisis which leaves many children vulnerable. According to the report, "Children without parental care are at a heightened risk of violence, abuse and exploitation. When these children are moved across borders, the risks are multiplied. The risk of trafficking also soars in emergencies." This means that externally displaced children, both boys and girls, are at an even higher risk than those which remain inside Ukranian borders. Not only does this forced displacement affect the physical security of these unaccompanied minors, but it also interrupts developmental progress for these young boys and girls. Infrastructure and the depriortitization of healthcare and education for these minors, which according to a UN Report, will have "irreparable consequences" and the impact will affect many generations in the future. The UN report also notes that "All children who are unaccompanied or separated need a core package of integrated social services, including healthcare, mental health and psychosocial support, nutrition, education, housing, financial support and legal aid, without discrimination." This means that states and aid organizations should extend care to all children separated or unaccompanied regardless of gender identity.
Are LGBT+ Ukrainians Accepted or Safe as Refugees?
Are LGBT+ Ukrainians Accepted or Safe as Refugees?
Russia is utilizing homophobic rhetoric in its attack on Ukraine, citing Western attacks on traditional values as an inciting reason for its invasion. President Vladimir Putin has stated that the future of Europe is in peril if “a boy can become a girl and reversely,” calling it a “monstrosity” and “crime against humanity.” This poses considerable threat to LGBT+ Ukrainians who are unable to leave Russian occupied regions.
Hungary and Poland particularly have been criticized by the European Union for their especially hostile legislation concerning LGBT rights. Hungary has criminalized the exposure of content relating to sex-change or homosexuality to minors, while certain regions in Poland have declared themselves “LGBT-free zones." In February, the European Court of Justice ruled that the EU could withhold funding from Hungary and Poland if they continue to restrict the Democratic values upheld by the EU. Same-sex marriage is currently not legal in Poland, but the EU is set to propose policy that requires all members to legalize gay marriage. This is largely opposed by Polish officials, including the President and Justice Minister. It is also illegal for same-sex couples to adopt children.
Many Ukrainians also lost access to medical resources for treating HIV and AIDS. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation provided medicine to one in three Ukrainians receiving antiretrovirals, medicine to treat HIV infections, before the war. They reported having to close clinics due to military assaults and bombings. Many NGOs, such as the U.S. global HIV aid programme, PEPFAR, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, have contributed funding to pop-up testing centers in Ukraine, as well as medicine and treatments. However, Michel Kazatchkine, former executive director of the Global Fund, has said that distribution of this medicine will be difficult, especially in active war zones. Chris Beyrer, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, reports that those working under HIV treatment and prevention services could be targeted under Russian rule.
Power Dynamics In the refugee process
Power Dynamics In the refugee process
It is difficult to determine a detailed overview of Ukraine’s complete refugee situation due to the ongoing nature of the crisis. However, an analysis of general power dynamics in a refugee situation is helpful and is certainly applicable when considering policy takeaways. While many individuals are opening their homes across Eastern Europe to refugees, a majority of Ukrainians are being housed in refugee camps, mostly in Poland.
Mothers in particular are under unique strain due to a lack of childcare services provided. Preschools and kindergarten classes are full with long waiting lists of families trying to enroll their children. Nativist attitudes may grow as Polish families have fewer schools in which to enroll their children. Despite the fact that Polish children are often given priority, experts warn resentment between native Polish citizens and Ukrainian refugees will increase as a disparity between whose children are accepted grows. Thus, many refugees are forgoing opportunities to work because of the need to stay home and watch young children and are left reliant on a small allowance from the Polish government.
Those who take shelter in private homes are susceptible to sexual violence. One report included a Ukrainian teenager who did not speak Polish experiencing rape at the hands of the homeowner who took her in. These spaces are hard to oversee because they involve private properties. Another consisted of a Ukrainian teenager experiencing rape from two German men at a hotel boat where refugees were being housed. Because of resources being stretched so thin, there has been a lack of action from law enforcement, and perpetrators have taken advantage of that.
Refugee camps are also notoriously susceptible to human traffickers. The U.N. has issued a warning that women and children especially are in danger of trafficking across Ukrainian refugee camps. Considering that 90% of refugees are comprised of women and children, the U.N. has reported that these dangers are multiplied. While known cases are currently low, U.N. officials are warning against individuals who promise “free transport, accommodation, employment or other forms of assistance.” Traffickers will often exploit refugees who have a limited scope of available opportunities to cross borders, as seen in a multitude of other refugee cases like the Gerard and Pickering reading on North African refugees attempting to reach the EU border.
There has also been recorded occurrences of racial discrimination at refugee checkpoints and camps. Ukraine was a popular country for foreign students to study, many from Asian or African origins. However, there have been a plethora of reports stating that white Ukrainians are being given preferential treatment. One woman from the DRC reported that she and other African women were not allowed to board an outgoing train at Lyiv while white women and children were given free access. She also reported that her group was the last to receive rations which were noticeably inadequate compared to other groups. She believes she was not beaten solely because of her gender. Similarly, at a train station in Przemysl, African and Afghan refugees were denied entry for western-bound trains. One of the guards claims he advised non-white refugees to claim they lost their passport, as this might make officials more sympathetic. Another report cites Nepalese, Indian, and Somali men being beaten with batons by Ukrainian guards before being let through a border checkpoint, while others were denied entry and told to “go back to their country.”
It is important to understand that the migration of well over 10 million Ukrainians is a long-term phenomenon, in which there will not be a definitive end, especially considering the uncertain conditions of the war. A RAND study in 2021 found that only 30% of refugees return to their country of origin a decade after a conflict ends. An analysis of humanitarian research on refugees found that feminist values in international relations would generate more accurate results that adequately reflect the genuine needs of refugees in reference to individual and cultural values.
Gender ANALYSIS vIDEO
Gender ANALYSIS vIDEO
A Message to Policy Makers
A Message to Policy Makers
GBV Prevention and Access to Healthcare Should be Prioritized for Displaced Women.
GBV Prevention and Access to Healthcare Should be Prioritized for Displaced Women.
Women that are in the crossfire of this conflict should not have to worry about being at increased risk for GBV or about having access to reproductive health products. Measures to prevent GBV should be expanded and implemented with extreme urgency. Efforts to ensure that internally and externally displaced women have adequate access to healthcare must also be prioritized as the war in Ukraine and the displacement resulting from it is creating a reproductive healthcare crisis. One specific way that this healthcare access could be ensured for these displaced women is setting up specific women’s healthcare stations in every refugee camp where these displaced persons are relegated to. These healthcare stations must be well equipped to provide sexual and reproductive healthcare such as birth control, prenatal care, birthing assistance, and abortions. These stations should also be equipped to provide adequate mental and general physical healthcare services for these women and their families.
HIV/AIDS Care Should be Prioritized for Remaining and Displaced Ukranians.
HIV/AIDS Care Should be Prioritized for Remaining and Displaced Ukranians.
Due to a culture of LGBTQ+ discrimination in Russia as well as the fighting and destruction caused by the invasion, many HIV/AIDS clinics in Ukraine are being shut down during the invasion, especially in the Eastern regions of the state. As HIV /AIDS disproportionately affects the LGBTQ+ community, those Ukranians remaining in Ukraine either at home or internally displaced are left without accessible care, including access to HIV retrovirals. Research shows interrupting antiretroviral treatment can give rise to drug-resistant strains of HIV, potentially narrowing future treatment options, and also undoes the protection the therapy provides against transmitting the virus. Policy makers should recognize this lack of access and encourage medical care including the distribution of antiretrovirals that treat HIV/AIDS. Lastly, it is important for policy makers to recognize that sexual and gender minorities are often sidelined during humanitarian efforts, so ensuring that special attention is paid to how these groups are affected, particularly in this way, is key to creating comprehensive policy and distributing competent aid.
Men in Ukraine Should Have the Agency in Deciding How They Respond to the Russian Invasion.
Men in Ukraine Should Have the Agency in Deciding How They Respond to the Russian Invasion.
Men should have the agency to decide how they respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Mandated remainder in the country is a gendered removal of agency and can pose risks to the human rights of men by disproportionately putting men in harm’s way during the conflict. With this in mind, the Ukrainian martial law order that bans men ages 18-60 from leaving is an abuse of human rights. Transgender women are also being affected by this ban as many are being turned away from fleeing their homes and forced to register for the armed services because of their biological sex. Though there are certain exceptions to this ban, men should not face the removal of their agency to choose solely based on their gender identity. All gender identities should have the ability to make their own choices in the face of conflict.
TikToks on the Crisis
How You Can Help Ukrainian Refugees
Bibliography
We hyperlink the sources we use on the website, but we have included our references for the script and video content (many are the same for the website and video).
Reference List
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Intro images
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukraine-russia-vladimir-putin-donbas-b205565 .html
https://static.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/30339/ukraine-russia-war-02182022-1.jpg
https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1497045899457048583?s=20&t=PHkrAj6UllqODb3swsbslg
https://twitter.com/AP/status/1497403364233170944?s=20&t=sXIF59ojHFqM7O8IN8H2cQ
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/ukrainian-refugee
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6XjmgAg9zBEDEcZ3SLZtpf.jpg
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/289A/production/_122749301_hi072708564.jpg
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNPwcxXWYAEeLBs.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnzOHS3_D3g
https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-how-a-transgender-man-escaped-russias-invasion-2022-3
https://images.unian.net/photos/2017_06/1497018803-8792-foto-unian.jpg
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/14/world/gallery/ukraine-russia-crisis/index.html
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