Violenza sessuale come “arma di guerra” e lotta all’impunità nell’attuale conflitto in Ucraina

: Sexual violence as a “tactic of war” and fighting impunity in the current conflict in Ukraine

Abstract

As in any other conflict, also in the Ukrainian one, civilians are exposed to heightened levels of sexual violence, amid shrinking civic space and weakened rule of law in settings affected by conflict. Starting from the concept of “conflict-related sexual violence” as defined in the Security Council’s WPS Agenda, this paper focuses on the ICC’s emerging practice regarding the prosecution of sexual crimes, with specific regard to the recent contribution of the European Union in the fight against impunity for core international crimes committed in Ukraine.

Keywords: Russia-Ukraine conflict; Women, peace and security; Conflict-related sexual violence; International criminal court; European Union.