On April 10, the official launch of three mobile centers for assistance to rescued civilians took place in Borodyanka. Thanks to them, residents of the de-occupied territories and frontline regions of Ukraine get access to qualified psychological, social and legal support.
What is essential to know about mobile Help Centers for survivors
It is worth paying attention to the fact that the mobile Helping Centers are part of a network of stationary Centers operating in 11 cities in Ukraine.
The following participated in the presentation of mobile Centers:
Deputy PM, Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna,
UNFPA representative, the UN Population Fund in Ukraine Massimo Diana,
The Ambassador of Spain in Ukraine, Ricardo Lopez-Aranda Jagu
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium in Ukraine, Peter Van de Velde.
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko, Deputy Head of Kyiv Regional State Administration Lesya Karnaukh, and others also participated in the event.
Olga Stefanishyna considers the fact that the launch of mobile centers took place in Borodyanka to be symbolic, where two years ago, after the de-occupation of Kyiv region, the whole world saw the true face of Russia and the consequences of its crimes.
Striving to help and support the victims as soon as possible, we launched a unique project with partners from UNFPA and the UN Population Fund in Ukraine. Our goal is to expand the geography of the Centers' work and help those who find it challenging to reach stationary Centers on their own. Mobile centres will allow us to increase our efforts to provide comprehensive assistance to Ukrainians.
Olga Stefanishyna
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine
What is important to understand is that after the full-scale invasion of Russia in February 2022, Ukraine faced an unprecedented level of violence.
As of today, more than 270 cases under the article "sexual violence" have been registered.
Despite this, the UN concluded that victims of sexual violence during the war maybe 10-20 times more than official data indicate.
Survivors helping centres provide comprehensive support to all those in need, including victims of conflict-related sexual violence.
According to Massimo Diana, UNFPA representative, the UN Population Fund in Ukraine, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is a terrible crime that cannot be justified under any circumstances.
He emphasises that it is about thousands of victims with their own horrifying stories and experiences.
It is extremely difficult to cope with the experience alone. That is why there are Centers for Helping Survivors, where victims can receive qualified psychological, legal and social support confidentially and free of charge. For us at UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, it is imperative that as many people as possible can access quality care. Therefore, launching mobile Helping Centers is vital for Ukrainians who cannot go to stationary Centers.
Massimo Diana
UNFPA Representative, the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine
Spain and Belgium helped to expand the area of operation of the Helping Centers
Helping centres were created to respond to the challenges of war.
Internally displaced persons, people who have left war zones or occupied territories, local residents and anyone who needs support can get help here. Help is provided confidentially, free of charge and unconditionally.
The first Center for Helping Survivors opened in Zaporizhzhia in July 2022. Services also operate in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, Poltava, Kropyvnytskyi, Chernivtsi and Mukachevo.
The people of Spain are in solidarity with the brave people of Ukraine, who are resisting the terrible armed aggression. Injuries caused by war do not heal instantly. Therefore, qualified psychological support is of great importance. It is an honour for us to be a part of a significant initiative to launch mobile Helping Centers for survivors, which will be able to help even more Ukrainians, in particular, in hard-to-reach regions.
Ricardo López-Aranda Jagu
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain in Ukraine
It is important to understand that two mobile centres for helping survivors, purchased with the support of the Spanish government, will work in the Kherson, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions.
Another one, purchased with the support of the Government of Belgium, will work in the Kharkiv region. Mobile centers are fully equipped to provide consultations.
The Government of Belgium must support Ukrainians during the war, in particular, those who were captured and tortured, those who were forced to leave their homes while fleeing the war, and those who survived conflict-related sexual violence. We are proud to support the network of Helping Centers, which provide much-needed help to Ukrainians in the most difficult times of the war.
Peter Van de Velde
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium in Ukraine
Rescue centers were created on the initiative of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, with the assistance of the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, in partnership with UNFPA, the UN Population Fund in Ukraine, thanks to the financial support of the governments of Austria, Belgium, Spain, of Sweden in cooperation with local authorities.
