US donates 60 vehicles to assist victims of gender-based violence to UNFPA in Ukraine

The US government handed over 60 vehicles to mobile teams of social and psychological assistance of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to assist victims of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, in Ukraine.

The correspondent of Ukrinform informs about this; the handover ceremony took place on April 24 in Kyiv.

It is reported that the mobile brigades coordinate with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine.

"Today, when we talk about gender-based violence, we recall footage and information about the crimes of the Russian occupiers on our territory, who abuse women, children, men, and the elderly.

Unfortunately, today we are forced to equate the issue of gender-based violence with a war crime," Olha Stefanishyna,  deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, emphasized.

As noted, these mobile teams provide free social and psychological assistance to victims of gender-based violence and, if necessary, direct them to other services or crisis rooms.

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"They are also engaged in educating and informing about the services of local communities. The provision of such important services became possible thanks to the government of Ukraine with the support of donors, which set the goal of supporting women and girls who are the most vulnerable in these conditions," the representative of the UNFPA, Jaime Nadal, emphasized .

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The services of mobile teams are provided thanks to the financial support of:

• the governments of Great Britain, Canada, and the USA (USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance),
• Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF),
• within the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Program framework, which the European Union finances.

"Russia's brutal war against Ukraine disproportionately impacts women and girls. The US stands firmly on the side of victims of gender-based violence. Estimates say 3.5 million women and girls have been victims of such violence, but the numbers are likely even higher.

We are proud to be part of the program and hand over vehicles to mobile crews that provide a full range of services and assistance," said US Ambassador Bridget Brink.

^{Photo: Ukrinform}

For reference:

According to the UN Foundation, every fifth woman in Ukraine is a victim of some form of violence due to the increase in such cases during the war. As of April, mobile brigades responded to more than 90,000 calls, including those related to violence cases.