A new Council of Europe publication - a Manual “Working with victims of sexual violence during armed conflict: A manual for Ukrainian prosecutors” has been released targeting Ukrainian prosecutors who organize pre-trial and support public prosecution in cases of conflict related sexual violence. The Manual is developed with the focus on the provisions of the Istanbul convention as well as other international frameworks and instruments, practical experience and best practices of international institutions. It covers ample of important issues, including: qualification of crimes; challenges faced by prosecutors working with victims of conflict-related sexual violence; prosecutorial strategy according to the Strategic Plan on the Implementation of Powers of the Prosecutor's Office in the Field of Criminal Prosecution for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence; procedural means of avoiding re-traumatisation of conflict-related sexual violence victims, etc. Alongside the relevant legal issues, the Manual also addresses the sensitive aspects of the use of psychological knowledge during working with witnesses and victims of sexual violence.

The publication has been developed based on the 2022 Manual “Working with victims of sexual violence during armed conflict: A manual for Ukrainian mental health and emergency response professionals”.

The new Manual for prosecutors is made available through the project “Combating Violence against Women in Ukraine – Phase II” (COVAW II).

See more:

 Publication. “Working with victims of sexual violence during armed conflict: A manual for Ukrainian prosecutors” UA

 Publication.  “Working with victims of sexual violence during armed conflict: A manual for Ukrainian mental health and emergency response professionals”(2022)

 Webpage. Combating Violence against Women in Ukraine – Phase II

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