Five children identified as victims of sexual assault by Russian soldiers – Prosecutor General
VALENTYNA ROMANENKO — MONDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2022, 14:02
Ukrainian law enforcement officers have identified five children aged between 4 and 16 who were sexually assaulted by Russian soldiers during the full-scale war.
Source: Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin in an interview to Livyi Bereh news agency
Quote: "... cases of sexual abuse of children have been established in criminal proceedings. Five children aged from 4 to 16 have been identified as victims of this category of war crime.
But we all understand that there are many more such cases than I have mentioned… This is difficult work. We are working with children, using a system that is called a ‘green room’ - with a psychologist’s direct involvement. The psychologist helps the child, but stays out of their sight.
It is difficult. But in certain cases, there are testimonies that can be used as evidence in these criminal proceedings."
Details: The Prosecutor General also confirmed that according to official data, more than 7,000 children have been deported to Russian-occupied territories, to the aggressor state and the Republic of Belarus.
At the moment, 5,327 children have been identified.
Ukraine has been able to bring back only 55 of the children who were unlawfully deported to the territory of the aggressor state. 37 of them are currently living in European Union countries together with their parents or carers.
Kostin believes that international organisations have opportunities to apply pressure on the aggressor state in order to get the children back. At the same time, they have used those opportunities for Ukrainian grain to be exported to countries that suffer from famine.
"We live in a world of cynicism, unfortunately. But we have to work despite said cynicism. And to demand that everything possible should be done, even if there is cynicism," the General Prosecutor added.
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