Daria’s Brave Journey
After fleeing her Russian-occupied village to western Ukraine, Daria found herself wandering the streets restlessly. Whenever exhaustion set in, she sought solace on park benches, recounting her harrowing experiences with Russian soldiers to anyone who would lend an ear, even strangers.
“I wanted to tell everyone, but there was no one to talk to,” shared Daria, a 32-year-old illustrator. “I couldn’t confide in my family, and I was a stranger in town. I had to cope with it alone.”
In March 2022, Daria disclosed that she was subjected to sexual assault twice by Russian soldiers in Havronshchyna, a village located roughly 30 miles from Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. The region has been marred by reports of various war crimes, including sexual violence, as documented by Ukrainian authorities and international media.
For two challenging years following the assaults, Daria grappled with shame. She couldn’t bring herself to confide in her father and found intimacy with her partner to be a struggle. In an interview, she expressed her readiness to speak out, aiming to break the silence surrounding sexual assault, not just for herself but to aid in the healing process for other victims as well.
Daria’s story represents the plight of numerous Ukrainians. Beyond the visible battlefields of Europe’s largest conflict in eight decades, authorities and aid organizations reveal that thousands of women, men, and children have fallen victim to sexual violence at the hands of Russian soldiers, facing immense challenges as they endeavor to rebuild their shattered lives.
Despite grappling with the monumental task of combatting the invasion that commenced in February 2022, Ukraine’s government has shown dedication in documenting and pursuing justice for cases of sexual violence, underscoring its commitment to addressing this critical issue.
