Invisible Crimes: Challenges and Good Practices in Documenting and Prosecuting Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
February 18, 2025
12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
WCC; 2009 Classroom

Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains one of the least documented and prosecuted atrocity crimes, in both international and non-international armed conflicts. Drawing on Ukraine as a case study, this panel will examine the general legal framework of CRSV, good practices for documenting such crimes, and the challenges facing survivors, investigators, and litigators on their path to justice and accountability.
CRSV occurs in most armed conflicts. However, due to survivor reluctance to report, stigmatization, fragmentation of survivors’ accounts caused by complex trauma, scarcity of other types of evidence, and lack of special training and experience among of investigators, CRSV is often underreported and, as a result, not prosecuted. An absence of documentation and prosecution can create a sense of isolation and lawlessness among survivors on the one hand, and a sense of impunity among perpetrators on the other. The panelists will discuss the legal, psychological, and documentation challenges related to CRSV and share their experience and good practices in each field.
Moderator: Professor Susan Farbstein
Panelists:
Nathalie Robelot-Timtchenko – Founder & Executive Director of First Aid of The Soul, Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Anastasiya Donets, LLM ‘ 24 – Lead of Ukraine Legal Team at IPHR