Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the vocation of the JurFem organization has changed. The Ukrainian association, founded in 2017, which brings together more than 300 professionals from the legal community, has become a front-line support resource for victims of sexual violence.
This week, two lawyers who work within the organization are on a mission to Quebec, in order to “raise awareness in the legal community” here of the sexual violence committed since the beginning of the Russian aggression. Last week, Kateryna Shunevych and Marta Pavlyshyn were in Ottawa. They met with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Richard Wagner, and representatives of the federal government.
“Russia has been victims of sexual violence in Ukraine since 2014”, nuance from the outset Mme Shunevych, in reference to the year of the annexation of Crimea by the army of Vladimir Putin. “As an association of women lawyers, our goal is to fight for women’s rights. This is why we have become involved in more and more cases of sexual violence. »
However, since February 2022, the number of cases of sexual violence has jumped, many cases of rape of Ukrainian people (women, men and children) committed by Russian troops having been listed. This is why JurFem has worked on 182 cases of sexual violence that are currently being processed by the local justice system, explains Ms.me Shunevych.
“When full-scale war broke out more than a year ago, we also developed a front-line telephone help line,” says the lawyer. “We also offer educational legal aid and mental health support services, with the cooperation of other non-profit organizations,” she adds.
Help needed in Canada
Marta Pavlyshyn explains that of all of JurFem’s activities, it is “in the general area of sexual violence” that the needs are greatest and the organization is most engaged. This is why, she says, JurFem “could benefit even more from the expertise of professionals from Canada and Quebec”.
Indeed, prosecuting Russian attackers for wartime rape, when Vladimir Putin’s government does not recognize their crimes, can be very complex from a legal point of view. JurFem and other Ukrainian organizations therefore work with the International Criminal Court, NATO and other governments, such as Canada, “to ensure that justice is done”, explains Ms.me Shunevych.
Gonzague Dupas, advisor and project manager at Lawyers Without Borders Canada, which coordinates JurFem’s mission in the country, notes “enormous political will” on the part of governments in Canada to support the organization and the cause of the violence. sex in Ukraine in general.
“The Canadian government was one of JurFem’s first financial partners. With this week’s mission, we want to attract new funds, particularly from the private sector, and forge ties with the local legal community,” he said.
In Quebec until May 25, Mmy Shunevych and Pavlyshyn will notably meet with representatives of the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie and the Barreau du Québec, as well as Judge Simon Ruel of the Quebec Court of Appeal. The Ukrainian lawyers will also give a conference on the activities of JurFem at Laval University, in Quebec, on Wednesday.