Concluding observations on the eighth periodic report of Ukraine

Addendum

* The present document is being issued without formal editing.

Information provided by Ukraine in follow-up to the concluding observations *

[Date received: 29 July 2019]

Information provided by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine

According to figures from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, women serving and working in the Armed Forces of Ukraine account for approximately 22.3 per cent of staff, including:

more than 10 per cent of military personnel;

more than 12 per cent of civilian personnel.

Approximately 10 per cent of the personnel fulfilling functions in the Joint Forces area are women members or employees of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The proportion of women (cadets, officer cadets or students) admitted following the 2018 recruitment campaign to train at military higher education institutions and military education units of military education institutions is over 8 per cent of the total number enrolled.

On 22 January 2019, Order No. 627 of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, of 13 December 2018 (registered with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on 28 December 2018 under No. 1507/32959), approving the lists of military-recorded specializations and appointments of junior, non-commissioned officer and warrant officer ranks and tariff lists for the functions of those ranks came into effect.

A draft order of the Ministry of Defence approving regulations for military/naval vocational schools has been prepared; it establishes normative provisions for the admission of girls to such schools.

In international peace and security operations, women account for 10 per cent of Ukrainian personnel.

Gender issues are included in the programmes described below:

•the military observer course at the training centre for international peacekeeping (Chernyakhovsky National Defence University of Ukraine), for participation in international peace and security support operations (of the total number of military personnel trained in 2018, over 6 per cent were women);

•Ukrainian Armed Forces civilian-military cooperation courses and civil protection courses (of the total number of students, over 21 per cent were women);

•non-commissioned officer training (women and men):

•leadership courses, with over 2,000 participants;

•advanced courses, with over 30 participants;

•high-level courses, with over 20 participants.

Civil society organizations, donors and international organizations are focusing on building capacity to combat trafficking and domestic violence. This has led to some progress in these areas, both in the development and implementation of legislation and in the introduction of appropriate training courses for security and defence professionals, especially the police. Almost all higher education institutions teaching international relations report having such courses and programmes, some compulsory, and others voluntary. Training for personnel due to be involved in United Nations peacekeeping missions is based on the core United Nations pre-deployment training modules, and must meet their requirements. This training includes a gender component covering responses to conflict-related sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual violence and discrimination; United Nations gender policy; implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security; as well as human rights in peace and security operations.

In 2016, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) provided support for capacity development in the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine by reviewing the curriculum of the Military Institute of Kyiv National University and by developing a proposal for a course relating to gender equality and opportunities, prevention and combating of gender-based violence, and implementation in the armed forces of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. In the same year, UN-Women, in co-operation with the General Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the General Staff and the Ukrainian Army Training Centre, organized a series of training sessions and seminars for military personnel on the following:

(a) integration into the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the principle of equal rights and opportunities for women and men, as well as the combating of sexual violence during conflict;

(b) procedures for the protection and rehabilitation of women who have suffered from situations of conflict and crisis;

(c) combating HIV and AIDS.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has prepared a draft instruction and training course on gender issues for the security and defence sector. The draft was sent to ministries and agencies for feedback. Two pilot training courses are planned for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies and social service providers. There is also a plan to include external gender experts and members of the public as trainers.

According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, training events and seminars on the introduction and implementation of gender policy have been initiated for its staff, with the involvement of European partners and United Nations offices.

Accordingly, with the support of the UN-Women office in Ukraine and with the direct participation of the National Adviser on Gender Issues in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, training sessions were held between 17 July and 5 October 2018, with representatives of 29 sections of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as with representatives of the central executive authorities whose activities are guided and coordinated by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine through the Minister of Internal Affairs (the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the State Migration Service of Ukraine, the National Police, and the State Service for Emergencies). On 3 and 4 September 2018, with the support of OSCE in Ukraine, training sessions on the gender aspects of conflict were held for teaching staff of higher education institutions within the managerial remit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

On 10 September 2018, with the support of OSCE in Ukraine, a training session on gender aspects of conflict was held for a group of Ministry of Internal Affairs contact points.

On 14 September 2018, a training course was held, with representatives of the Swedish Folke Bernadotte Academy and with the support of a team of European Union advisers, for the representatives of the senior management of the Ministry of Interior involved in the Ministry working group on the fulfilment of the action plan for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325, with a view to developing the gender-related capacities of individuals in Ministry’s middle and senior management, their roles and functions, as well as the mechanism for interaction between those leaders and the representatives of the departments responsible for gender policy in the central executive authorities.

On 2 and 3 October 2018, a training session was held for members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs gender contact point team regarding gender-sensitive security sector reform, aimed at strengthening the capacity of civil, police and military personnel to implement security and defence sector reform.

From 7 to 9 November 2018, in order to ensure joint communication between senior and middle management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as part of the fulfilment of the departmental action plan for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325, the Folke Bernadotte Academy held a training workshop for representatives of Ministry of Internal Affairs gender issues managers and contact points.

On 9 October 2018, at the initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and with the support of the OSCE project coordinator in Ukraine, a forum entitled “Gender Policy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: Equal Opportunities for Everyone” was held. Attending the event were representatives of the Government, ministries, central executive authorities, the ambassadors of France, Canada and Sweden to Ukraine, as well as representatives of international partners, NATO representatives in Ukraine and the European Union advisers.

The main goals of the Forum were:

•Creation of a platform for exchange of experience and personal success stories and professional development of women, men’s support for the development of women’s leadership in law enforcement, international experience in ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in law enforcement agencies;

•Informing the public about the results of the efforts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to achieve a gender balance in the law enforcement agencies and the policy of equal opportunities as a fundamental basis for the work of the Ministry;

•Involvement of men who support the professional development of women in law enforcement agencies;

•Exploration of gender issues in law enforcement agencies and ways to address those issues;

•Providing information on the activities of the Ukrainian Association of Women Representatives of Law Enforcement Agencies. This organization, registered on 12 March 2018, is a voluntary, non-profit public organization established by citizens of Ukraine for the joint implementation and protection of rights and freedoms; its main purpose is to promote equal rights and opportunities for women and men in the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine. The Association is one of the first of its kind in the Eastern European region to promote gender-sensitive policies and practices in the agencies concerned. The Association officially began operations on 15 March 2018.

On 18 December 2018, at the initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and with the support of the OSCE project coordinator in Ukraine, an information and communication event entitled “POLINA – A Comprehensive Approach to Combating Domestic Violence” was held.

The aim of the event was to inform the public about preventive measures to combat domestic violence, and establish algorithms for the use of police officers responding to cases of domestic violence, as well as plans and improvements to combat this phenomenon. Furthermore, the activities included domestic violence response modelling (role-play). A presentation was made on the results achieved by the POLINA pilot project since its inception.

Ministry of Internal Affairs higher-education institutions

This year, a review of the status of gender mainstreaming in the curriculum was undertaken. It established that, at all levels of higher education, gender issues had been integrated into 51 academic disciplines in 7 higher-education institutions with a syllabus specifically aimed at training police officers.

In 2018, at the initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a Standard for professional (vocational) education SP (PT) 5162.0.84.24-2018 applying to the profession of police officer (by specialization) was drafted, and adopted by means of Order No. 669 of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine of 21 June 2018.

The Standard provides for basic police training to include such general vocational skills as: knowledge of how to apply strictly the legislation criminalizing violence against women; adherence to the requirement to preserve human and civil rights and liberties; mastery of professional ethics; respect for tolerance and non-discrimination in the work of the police; adherence to the requirements of legislation to prevent and combat domestic violence. The basic training syllabus also includes relevant related issues, including “preventing and combating domestic violence”.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine is also a participant in the implementation of a pilot project of the Government’s European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Coordination Office and UN-Women to analyse gender competencies in the curricula of security and defence education institutions.

The above project is being implemented at establishments including the National Internal Affairs Academy, the Kharkiv National Internal Affairs University, the National State Border Guard Service Academy, the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine, the National Civil Protection University of Ukraine and the Patrol Police Academy, a State institution of the of the Ukraine National Police.

In addition, pursuant to article 3, paragraph 4, of Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1073-r of 28 December 2016 adopting a plan of action for the period up to 2020 to implement the recommendations of the concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, following Ukraine’s first report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in order to respect and implement the rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities and in order to identify and remove obstacles and barriers that prevent that category of persons from enjoying their rights, the necessary action has been taken to develop an Assessment Methodology applying to measures to enforce the rights of persons with disabilities in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and in the central executive authorities whose activities are guided and coordinated by the Minister. The Methodology was adopted by Ministry of Internal Affairs Order No. 294 of 11 April 2018 (registered with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on 24 April 2018, under No. 496/31948).

This Methodology applies to persons with disabilities regardless of gender.

National Guard of Ukraine

In accordance with National Guard of Ukraine General Directorate Order No. 27/23/4-4533 of 9 July 2018, an expert working group has been established at the National Guard of Ukraine National Academy to conduct an analysis of institutional capacity and assess the state of integration of gender into education curricula. The first stage of the inaugural meeting of the working group took place from 18 to 20 July 2018, with the participation of the management of the National Guard of Ukraine National Academy (assessment of institutional capacity of the National Guard of Ukraine National Academy). The second stage of the inaugural meeting of the working group took place from 23 October 2018 to 20 January 2019, with the participation of the management of the National Guard of Ukraine National Academy (assessment of curricula; development and establishment of syllabus modules within the curricula of the National Guard of Ukraine National Academy). The teaching staff of four departments took steps to incorporate the gender component into curricula, selecting for that purpose 14 disciplines (general and specialist) accounting for a total of 74 hours (20 hours of lectures; 3 hours of practical assignments; 5 hours of seminars; 5 hours of group assignments; 27 hours of individual study and 14 hours of individual assignments).

In accordance with Order No. 777 of the Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, of 14 December 2018, approving the organizational and methodological instructions for combat and special training of the National Guard of Ukraine for 2019, gender-related training and information for personnel will take place within the general training system of the National Guard. In connection with the adoption of the Act amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure in order to implement the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, plans have been made to conduct suitable information sessions for all National Guard personnel within one month.

Pursuant to the National Guard of Ukraine gender integration action plan for the period up to 2021, approved by Order No. 789 of the Commander of the National Guard, of 14 December 2018, work is under way to develop for the National Guard a dedicated mechanism for submission, recording, consideration and response to citizens’ complaints of gender discrimination and sexual harassment, including protection of victims and prosecution of perpetrators, in order to prevent and prohibit gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

National Police of Ukraine

On 11 January 2019, the Act amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine to implement the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence entered into force, amending and supplementing the Criminal Code of Ukraine with new articles, in particular Article 126-1 (Domestic Violence).

The adoption of the Act introduced additional measures aimed at creating measures and protective and punitive criminal-law mechanisms to combat domestic violence, thus ensuring that Ukrainian legislation is in line with modern European standards in this area and meets the current needs of Ukrainian society.

In 2018, the National Police received 115,500 complaints, reports of offences committed and other events related to domestic violence, with 90,000 of those complaints and reports submitted by women.

In order to increase the effectiveness of work in the field of preventing and combating domestic violence, a pilot project relating to the work of mobile domestic-violence response teams has been running since 2017 in the Darnitsa district of Kyiv, in the Malinovsky district of Odessa and in the city of Severodonetsk, in Luhansk province.

The main objectives of the project are to reflect the latest forms and experience of domestic-violence response and to establish cooperation between the National Police divisions and other actors working in the area of preventing and combating domestic violence.

On the basis of the positive results of the pilot project and the monitoring of the number of cases of domestic violence received and registered by the geographical divisions of the National Police, the need was recognized to create such mobile groups in each provincial capital and in the cities of Kiev, Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Mariupol, Severodonetsk and Bila Tserkva.

During October and November 2018, training for divisional police officers, juvenile prevention and police patrol officers from Vinnitsa, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhgorod, Kherson, Berdyansk and Chernivtsi, as well as for representatives of Ministry of Internal Affairs system higher education institutions which teach courses on the prevention and combating of domestic violence, took place. This used interactive combined classes based at the Ministry of Internal Affairs State Universities of Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv, and involved representatives of the central police administration. In total, more than 200 police officers received training.

In January 2019, 79 police officers from Zaporizhzhya, Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkiv, Bila Tserkva, Kropivnytskyi, Mariupol, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Sumy, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy and Chernigiv were trained with the support of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine. In February, training was given to 122 police officers who will be involved in the future in mobile domestic violence response teams.

State Border Guard Service

The Bogdan Khmelnytsky State Border Guard Service National Academy has developed and incorporated into the distance-learning vocational training programme for personnel three training courses on the application of legislation on the criminalization of violence against women.

For cadets and students of the Academy, gender issues are included in 17 curricula (courses) based around the acquisition of knowledge in the field of international standards of non-discrimination against women and ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men.

The State Service for Emergencies

The State Service for Emergencies higher education institutions have developed curricula in the disciplines “Social protection of participants in and victims of armed conflicts and their families”, “Social work with internally displaced persons”, “Fundamentals of gender policy”, “Social work with different groups of clients” and “Social policy” for those studying for bachelors and masters degrees in social work. The curricula involve gender-specific aspects of forced displacement and of readjustment, social rehabilitation, demobilization and reintegration. In addition, gender aspects of forced displacement, mediation, reintegration and access to justice are addressed in sociology and political science studies, and some issues are covered in other disciplines, depending on their curricula.

The following have been produced: first aid guidance; manuals on survival in emergencies, paramedical assistance in emergencies and medical and biological protection in emergencies; and a textbook on medicine in emergencies.

On 7 December 2017, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Act on Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence. In order to implement the provisions of the Act, the Ministry of Social Policy together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education and Science and other central executive authorities adopted a number of legal acts during 2018, namely:

•A Model Regulation on the mobile brigade for social and psychological assistance to victims of domestic violence and/or gender-based violence, approved by decision No. 654 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, of 22 August 2018;

•A Model Regulation on refuge for victims of domestic violence and/or gender-based violence, approved by decision No. 655 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, of 22 August 2018;

•The procedure for cooperation between entities implementing measures to prevent and combat domestic violence and gender-based violence, approved by decision No. 658 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, of 22 August 2018;

•The framework for the State social programme to prevent and combat domestic and gender-based violence for the period up to 2023, approved by resolution No. 728-r of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on 10 October 2018;

•Provisions on psychological services, approved by Order No. 509 of the Ministry of Education and Science, of 22 May 2018, registered by the Ministry of Justice on 31 July 2018 under No. 885/32337;

•Procedures for the issuing by the authorized subdivisions of the National Police of Ukraine of temporary restraining orders to offenders, approved by Order No. 654 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, of 1 August 2018, registered by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on 27 August 2018 under No. 965/32417;

•A standard programme for offenders, approved by Order No. 1434 of the Ministry of Social Policy, of 1 October 2018, registered by the Ministry of Justice on 29 October 2018 under No. 1222/32674;

•Methodological recommendations for identifying and responding to cases of domestic violence, and cooperation of teaching staff with other bodies and services, approved by Order No. 1047 of the Ministry of Education and Science, of 2 October 2018;

•Order No. 1852 of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine establishing, as a State institution, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine call centre to combat trafficking in human beings, and to prevent and combat domestic violence, gender-based violence and violence against children, of 11 December 2018, registered with the Ministry of Justice on 22 December 2018 under No. 1458/32910;

•Decision No. 43 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine amending certain decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, of 23 January 2019;

•Order No. 372 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, of 4 May 2018, amending, for the purpose of restricting an offender’s right to use a personal weapon and of conducting appropriate verification in that regard, Order No. 622 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine adopting instructions regarding the manufacture, acquisition, storage, recording, transportation and use of firearms, pneumatic, bladed and replica weapons, devices of domestic manufacture for shooting rubber or similar non-lethal projectiles and cartridges; charges for those devices; and ammunition and basic components of arms and explosives, of 21 August 1998.

In addition, a draft decision approving the procedure for the establishment and maintenance of, and access to, a unified State register of cases of domestic violence and gender-based violence, submitted by the Ministry of Social Policy for consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, will be adopted in the near future.

Five further draft normative and legislative acts have been developed:

•a draft decision of the Cabinet of Ministers adopting model provisions regarding specialized support services for victims of domestic violence and/or gender-based violence;

•An Order of the Ministry of Social Policy approving the forms of document regulating the work of mobile brigades providing social and psychological assistance to victims of domestic violence and/or gender-based violence;

•An Order of the Ministry of Social Policy approving the forms of document regulating the provision of refuge for victims of domestic violence and/or gender-based violence;

•An Order of the Ministry of Social Policy regarding the pay of employees of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine call centre to combat trafficking in human beings, and to prevent and combat domestic violence, gender-based violence and violence against children, established as a State institution;

•An Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs approving the procedure to be used by the authorized division of the National Police of Ukraine for placing an offender on a probation register, conducting preventive work and removing an offender from the probation register.

In order to check the state of implementation of State policy to prevent and combat domestic violence, a series of monitoring visits to local administrative and local government offices was conducted during 2018. The visit participants included Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine N. Fedorovich, and representatives of other central executive authorities. The destinations of the visits were Vinnitsa, Odessa, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Poltava, and the Cherkasy and Chernigivska provinces.

At the initiative of the Ministry of Social Policy, and with the technical support of the OSCE project coordinator in Ukraine, an all-Ukraine webex seminar was held on 9 November 2018. Participants included Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine N. Fedorovich, deputy heads of State provincial administrations, heads of public social protection departments of State provincial administrations, and officials responsible for the implementation of State policy in the field of preventing and combating domestic violence. The subject of the meeting was the status of implementation of the Act on Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence and Cabinet of Ministers decisions No. 658 approving the procedure for cooperation between entities implementing measures to prevent and combat domestic violence and gender-based violence, of 22 August 2018; No. 654, approving a Model Regulation on the mobile brigade for social and psychological assistance to victims of domestic violence and/or gender-based violence, of 22 August 2018; and No. 655, approving a Model Regulation on refuge for victims of domestic violence and/or gender-based violence, of 22 August 2018. The seminar was attended by about 50 people.

Since 2015, the Ministry of Social Policy, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health (an international charitable foundation), and with the financial support of the United Nations Population Fund, has been implementing the project entitled “Comprehensive approach to addressing the problem of violence against women and girls in Ukraine”, aimed at strengthening the interagency system for preventing and overcoming gender-based violence and ensuring access to social and psychological services for women victims of violence.

Within the framework of this project 49 mobile brigades are currently operating to provide social and psychological assistance to victims of domestic violence in 12 provinces of Ukraine: Vinnitsa, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, Mykolaiv, Rivne, Kharkiv and Ukrainian-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Mobile brigades enable the identification of victims of domestic and gender-based violence and the provision of emergency and planned assistance to such victims.

Each brigade undertakes travel to locations including remote villages and settlements near the demarcation line. Currently, mobile brigades are operating in such hotspots as Stanitsa-Luganskaya, Popasnaya, Novoaidar, Lysychansk, Bahmut, Novogrodok, Volnovakha, and at checkpoints and in areas with large concentrations of internally displaced persons.

In addition, 60 mobile brigades paid for from provincial and local budgets and other sources of funding not prohibited by law have been set up and are operating in Ukraine.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the first ten months of 2018 the National Police received more than 97,200 (92,100 in 2017) complaints and reports of offences and other events related to domestic violence.

During that period, there were 86,400 administrative offences connected with domestic violence, gender-based violence, failure to comply with a temporary restraining order or to report a place of temporary residence (article 1732 of the Code of Administrative Offences); the number of perpetrators was 63,400 (6,400 of them women).

Since the beginning of 2018, the National Police has investigated 844 (791 in 2017) cases of criminal offences committed in the family, consisting of 56 under Criminal Code Article 115 (intentional homicide), 67 under Criminal Code Article 121 (intentional grievous bodily harm), 42 under Criminal Code Article 122 (intentional moderate bodily harm), 553 under Criminal Code Article 125 (intentional light bodily harm), and 51 under Criminal Code Article 126 (assault and battery).

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, pursuant to subparagraph 1 of article 13 of the Protocol Decision on ensuring access of victims of domestic violence to free primary and secondary legal assistance, including through the provision of such assistance on the basis of general and specialized victim support services, reports that according to statistics for the period 1 July 2015 to 30 November 2018, local Centres for the provision of free secondary legal assistance registered 1,461,863 client requests, with the following outcomes:

•1,280,871 resulted in the provision of legal advice and clarification, as well as assistance in drafting applications, complaints and other legal documents (other than trial documents);

•180,938 led to a decision to appoint an attorney or specialist from the Centre to represent the applicant’s interests in court;

•14,807 clients were referred to partner institutions and organizations.

Free secondary legal aid, including legal services such as defence, was provided; Applicants’ interests were represented in courts, other state bodies, local government bodies and before other persons. The preparation of trial documents is currently performed by local Centres for those covered by the appropriate law, as defined in paragraphs 1–22, and 8–13, of the first section of Article 14 of the Act of Ukraine regarding free legal aid.

The Act on preventing and combating domestic violence introduced amendments, notably to the Act regarding free legal aid, to include victims of domestic violence or gender-based violence among the recipients of free secondary legal assistance.

In this regard, in accordance with the Decision, local Centres ensure that victims of domestic or gender-based violence are visited by the general and specialized victim support services in order to receive free legal aid.

As at 1 October 2018, local Centres are operating more than 3,000 remote legal assistance access points throughout the country, including 160 providing general support services for victims of domestic violence (social service centres for families, children and young persons); psychological and social support centres; regional social service centres (for the provision of social services), etc.

Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine altering the interpretation of the concepts of “rape” and “sex crime” entered into force on 11 January 2019. As a result, Ukraine has become the eleventh state in Europe (after the United Kingdom, Belgium, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Iceland, Germany, etc.), where sex acts committed without the voluntary consent of the partner will be qualified as rape or sexual violence.