SafeWomenHUB: a women’s social and psychological support platform provides assistance to women affected by the war

According to the UN, as of April 2022, almost 13 million people have become displaced persons in Ukraine, of which more than 5.2 million have left Ukraine. The humanitarian disaster in the occupied and front-line cities and villages had a powerful impact on the lives of women and girls, especially women with children.

Gender-based violence against women and girls in private and public spaces is exacerbated during large-scale conflicts. Sexual and other forms of violence against women are undeniable risk factors for mental health and psychosocial well-being in war conditions.

In April 2022, the International Charitable Fund Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health created SafeWomenHUB — a platform for providing urgent psychological, socio-legal, and humanitarian assistance to women and girls affected by the war. The initiative aims to raise awareness among girls about preventing various forms of violence, including sexual violence.

The SafeWomenHUB platform provides access to psychological, social, and legal services for women and girls affected by the war in Ukraine.

Psychological and social workers of the platform consistently provide psychological and socio-legal consultations to women and girls. The platform also responds to the needs of women and girls, including those displaced internally and abroad who have experienced sexual violence or exploitation.

SafeWomenHUB helps five groups of victims or those at risk:

• Women whose life crisis has worsened due to military operations in Ukraine.
• Women who have temporarily changed their place of residence in Ukraine and need support.
• Women who have gone abroad in search of shelter and need support.
• Women who are in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
• Women who suffered from sexual violence committed by the military of the aggressor country.

SafeWomenHUB psychologists consult on various requests. Among them are the consequences of experienced violence (sexual and domestic), the pain of loss, adaptation to a new place of residence, sleep disturbances, problems in relationships with children, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Besides psychological help, the hub also helps solve various urgent issues. Social workers advise women on registration for IDP status, finding housing, employment, receiving financial assistance, and educating children.

Psychological help is provided via phone, online, and offline in Kyiv and Kyiv region, Lviv, Zakarpattia (for IDPs and during evacuation), and refugees who have found shelter in the countries of the European Union.

The platform's case manager and social workers process requests and conduct online consultations for obtaining IDP and refugee status, humanitarian assistance, housing, and transportation in coordination with other humanitarian service providers and evacuation centers/volunteers.

Specialists of the SafeWomenHUB Platform constantly publish informative posts and videos aimed at reducing the risks of gender-based violence, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation.

Help for each woman is individual, depending on the client's request and condition. Sometimes it is enough to consult a psychologist; sometimes, it is necessary to involve a social worker, for example, in employment or finding temporary shelter. "If we see a need, we redirect to other entities; most often, these are medical institutions, for example, referral to a psychiatrist," explains Hanna Lemeshko, SafeWomenHUB Platform coordinator.

To implement and support the work of the platform, several international organizations joined forces:

• UN Women in Ukraine provided technical support;
• United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Aid Fund (WPHF) provided financial support;
• The platform is implemented and financed by the International Charitable Foundation Ukrainian Foundation for Public
• Health and the Representation of HealthRight International (Right to Health) in Ukraine.

During the year of operation of the SafeWomenHUB Platform, specialists provided 11,714 individual consultations and services (5,343 psychological and 6,371 socio-legal) for more than 5,900 women and girls.

Recently, the level of inquiries due to domestic violence, most often psychological, has increased. Specialists of the platform say that there are also requests for legal advice due to the problem of violence.

During the year of operation of the SafeWomenHUB Platform, specialists provided 11,714 individual consultations and services (5,343 psychological and 6,371 socio-legal) for more than 5,900 women and girls

Appeals regarding somatic diseases have increased but with a tendency towards anxiety. Clients apply because of problems in the family — most often due to the cheating of a husband and problems in the upbringing and behavior of children. "There are also dependency issues — in these cases, we refer clients to addictions colleagues after the consultation. Requests for coping with loss have increased, both in connection with hostilities and in other circumstances," lists the coordinator of the SafeWomenHUB Platform. "Women are also appealing to leave the territories occupied since 2014."

The number of clients with mental disorders have increased. As the platform experts explain, these are mainly those clients who do not get better despite the medicine prescribed by the specialist. People start looking for other ways to help themselves and stabilize their condition.

"There are also more female clients who have suicidal thoughts. Requests also depend on the events taking place in the country," says Lemeshko. "For example, when a video of the execution of a servicemember appeared online, there was a boom in the number of requests from clients who watched the video and were in acute stress."

You can contact the SafeWomenHUB platform:

• by writing an appeal through Facebook and Instagram
• by calling the Platform case manager at +38 066 900 4018,
• by calling the psychologists and social workers of the platform via phone numbers posted on the SafeWomenHUB pages on the social network.

You can send a request for help at any time. Specialists consult from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.

SafeWomenHUB services are free of charge and confidential.