Shelter for survivors of violence opens in Myrnohrad thanks to UN and international partners

November 25, 2020

Not only violence survivors will be able to timely receive a place to hide from the offender, but also get psychological, social and legal help and support

Photo credit: Artem Hetman / UNDP in Ukraine

Myrnohrad, Donetsk Oblast, 25 November 2020 – Today, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), together with national partners, opened a shelter in Myrnohrad to protect people who have experienced domestic and gender-based violence.  

The shelter was opened and overhauled at a total cost of U.S. $62,000 (UAH 1,767,000) under the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, with financial support from Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.

The shelter now open in Myrnohrad is designed to be a safe place for survivors of various forms of violence. Here they will be able not only to find shelter and hide from the offender, but also to receive psychological, social and legal assistance from qualified specialists, to restore their own inner strength, and make decisions about their future lives.

In the Europe and Central Asia region, as well as globally, violence against women and girls has increased during the pandemic, and especially during periods of strict lockdown. In Europe and Central Asia, reports of gender-based and domestic violence have increased by up to 65 percent. And according to a recent study “The Impact of COVID-19 on Women's Rights in Ukraine”, more than 40 percent of respondents who reported domestic violence had had no previous experience of it before quarantine.

The coordinator of the Social Cohesion and Community Security Component of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, Rustam Pulatov, said that the opening of such facilities in eastern Ukraine is of utmost importance, as due to the armed conflict going on for many years in eastern Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is harder for people to get the help they need.

“People who visit these shelters often no longer have anyone or where to turn for help. Together with our partners, we are working to make shelters like this one a starting point for violence survivors to start a new life, free from violence and fear,” Pulatov said.

The shelter is designed for ten adults and six children. There are five living rooms, a room for sessions with a psychologist, bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room, and all rooms are accordingly adapted to the needs of people with disabilities.

According to Oksana Andrushkiv, UNFPA’s Regional Coordinator in Donetsk Oblast, the opening of shelters is an important component of ensuring a comprehensive response to gender-based violence.

“A shelter means not only a safe place, but also the provision of quality social, psychological and legal services from highly qualified trained professionals who are trusted,” Andrushkiv said.

The address of the shelter is not disclosed to guarantee the safety of violence survivors and staff. Information on the shelter and the services provided there can be obtained from the social services, organisations that work with violence survivors, and the police.

In addition to the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, the charitable organisation
“Give Warmth to a Child” and Myrnohrad City Council, which will continue to subsidize the shelter from the local budget, joined in the implementation and financing of the project.

Background

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Thirteen international partners support the Programme: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland & the UK.

Media enquiries

Maksym Kytsiuk, Communications Associate, UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, maksym.kytsiuk@undp.org, +380 63 576 1839