Ukrainian Women Are Carrying the War on Every Front

Sanja Jeraj — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:12:57 +0000

How Domestic Violence, Weaponized Custody Battles, and Demographic Pressure Are Creating an Invisible Crisis

Gender Equality Commission Annual Conference, Council of Europe, 9 June 2026

Ukrainian women are bearing a burden that is almost impossible to put into words. On top of the horrors of war, they face domestic violence — and at the same time fight custody battles against the very fathers from whom they are trying to protect their children. Some of these men have returned from the front traumatised, their unprocessed suffering now erupting inside the family home. Others use custody claims deliberately — as a legal tool to evade military mobilisation.

This is not anecdotal. A 2025 UNFPA report based on extensive consultations with women across Ukraine documents a sharp rise in intimate partner and domestic violence, driven by increased stress, trauma, displacement, and substance abuse associated with the war. Human Rights Watch likewise reports that domestic violence cases increased by 36% in 2024 and notes concerns raised by women’s rights organisations about violence committed by returning combatants and obstacles to accountability. Research from the Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki further describes what some scholars call the “boomerang of violence”: the risk that patterns of violence cultivated during armed conflict may reappear within family and community life after soldiers return home.

This was made clear today by Marta Chumalo, Vice-Director and psychologist at the NGO Centre “Women’s Perspectives” in Lviv, Ukraine, speaking at the Annual Conference of the Commission for Gender Equality at the Council of Europe. Her message was unambiguous: the system is not adequately protecting many women who experience violence. Women who report abuse may face additional legal, economic, and social obstacles when seeking safety for themselves and their children.

The scale is staggering. An estimated 2.4 million people in Ukraine — predominantly women and girls — are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, gender-based violence, according to the UN Population Fund’s Voices from Ukraine report. According to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, one in four women who fled Ukraine reports having experienced physical or sexual violence since the start of the war.

Women’s right to reproductive self-determination must also remain protected during times of crisis. Since the start of the war, Ukraine has experienced a profound demographic shock: fertility rates have fallen to among the lowest in the world, while millions of people have been displaced — nearly 10 million Ukrainians remain displaced four years into the war, according to UNHCR — and the population has declined dramatically. Demographic challenges, however serious, must never become a justification for limiting women’s autonomy over their own bodies and reproductive choices.

This is not a solution to a crisis. It is the continuation of control by other means.

Ukrainian women are holding their families, their communities, and their country together — often at enormous personal cost. They deserve protection, solidarity, justice, and self-determination. Not more burdens.

Sanja Jeraj
Head of our Delegation to the Council of Europe

Sources

The painting “Hope for Ukraine” by Pedro de Andrade Nunes, on display at the Council of Europe. Photo: Sanja Jeraj

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15 Years of the Istanbul Convention

Sanja Jeraj — Tue, 12 May 2026 12:22:09 +0000

15 Years of the Istanbul Convention: What Has Changed — and What Hasn't

15 years ago today — May 11, 2011 — the Istanbul Convention opened for signature.

Here’s what has happened since. And why it matters more than ever.

The Istanbul Convention remains the first and only legally binding European treaty dedicated solely to combating gender-based violence. Its framework spans everything from prevention to support services and access to justice.

The key milestones:

2014: The Convention entered into force on 1 August 2014, following its 10th ratification. From that point, all ratifying governments became legally bound by its obligations.
2020: Poland signalled its exit from the Convention, though no formal steps have followed.
2021: Turkey — the very country that hosted the signing and was the first to ratify — became the first state to officially withdraw from the Convention. The Council of Europe described the move as a “devastating” setback for women’s protection.
2023: The European Union acceded to the Convention in June 2023, bringing it into force for the EU on 1 October 2023.
2025: Latvia’s attempt to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention was temporarily halted after President Rinkēvičs vetoed the parliamentary vote to leave the treaty. Following public protests and political divisions within the government, lawmakers postponed any final decision until after the 2026 elections, meaning Latvia remains a member of the Convention for now.
April 2026: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a new resolution calling for renewed political will and adequate resources to counter growing attacks on the Convention — nearly 12 years after it entered into force.

Today, several EU member states — Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria — still refuse to ratify, often citing the Convention’s use of the term “gender” as ideologically loaded. The influence of anti-gender disinformation, frequently amplified by actors outside Europe, has played a significant role in fuelling this resistance.

The numbers are sobering: Around 2,871 women were killed in femicides in Europe in 2024 (minimum estimate across 35 countries), with wide underreporting and major differences between countries. Roughly one in five women in Europe experience intimate partner violence during their lifetime, though the real number is likely higher due to underreporting.

Civil society alliances warn that anti-feminism, right-wing populism, and cuts to social services are actively endangering protection for survivors of violence. Rising military budgets are undermining the Istanbul Convention by draining the essential funding needed to turn its legal protections into reality.

The bottom line:

15 years in, the Istanbul Convention has changed laws, shaped policies, and saved lives across Europe.

But it was never meant to be self-executing. The Assembly’s 2026 resolution is a clear signal: demonstrated positive impact on the ground is not enough — renewed political will and sustained resources are urgently needed.

The convention exists. The numbers demand more than existence.

Sanja Jeraj
Head of Delegation to the Council of Europe and
Interest Group Representative to the European Parliament.