Ukraine minister vows to go after army commanders accused of sexual harassment

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar has said that she would help to punish commanders in the Ukrainian army who have been credibly accused of sexual harassment by female soldiers. The Guardian has reported that a 27-year-old female soldier told the news outlet about sexual harassment she had faced from a senior military commander.

Maliar has appealed to all those who say they were targeted to contact her. According to The Guardian report, a whistleblower had alleged that a commander in a unit ordered female soldiers to have sex with him or risk their husbands being sent to the frontlines where they could be killed in combat.

Maliar has also said she will look into accusations that women in the Ukrainian Army were threatened that they would be sent to psychiatric units if they raised complaints of sexual harassment. Maliar has said that she would personally take such cases to the police.

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The Guardian reported that allegations of sexual harassment were raised by a 27-year-old platoon sergeant who said she was forced to seek transfer from her unit after being told to "shut up" by senior officers after raising cases.

“I left [my brigade] because there was this person high up the food chain who would harass women and I know these women,” she had said.

“Some of them are my subordinates who I’m responsible for. They were harassed by the same person who basically told them if they refuse to have sex with him, he’s sending their husbands who were also in the brigade to their deaths. I was told to shut up because he did not harass me personally.”

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Maliar has now said that she would protect this soldier and other women soldiers who come forward.

“I tell all women in the armed forces to write me a statement. I will contact the police and bring the police by the hand to investigate this. Give me all the information, I will personally contact the police. These things are unacceptable; a woman cannot be treated like this. I will protect them,” said Maliar, as quoted by The Guardian.

The news outlet, which quoted the female soldier, said that she had expressed readiness to speak with the minister.

As per the news report, about 60,000 women are working in the Ukrainian military. Out of these, 42,000 are soldiers and 5,000 of them are fighting battles on the frontlines.

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