BEYOND RELEASE: Justice and Recovery for Women Returning from Captivity

Executive Director of the ICF 'Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health' and Director of HealthRight International in UkraineHalyna Skipalska presented our organization’s vision and experience in supporting women’s recovery after captivity.

The main message is that justice is impossible until a person has recovered. And this connection between psychological well-being and the legal process is inseparable. Any investigative actions require resources that a woman simply does not have after captivity. Our experience working on the Safewomenhub platform confirms this with numbers: from April 2022 to March 2026, we provided over 74,000 services. This level of activity indicates that survivors choose anonymity and safety as the first and most important step toward healing. About 200 viewers joined the discussion.

We sincerely thank the other participants in the discussion for their collaboration and shared perspective: Kateryna Levchenko — the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy Kateryna Levchenko; Kateryna Shunevych — Director of the Analytical Center of the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association “JurFem”; Тетяна Франчук — psychologist and expert on rehabilitation after captivity; Veronika Plotnikova — Head of the Coordination Center for Support of Victims and Witnesses at the Office of the Prosecutor General; Lyudmyla Guseynova — Chair of the NGO 'Numo Sestry'; and Emma Saks — moderator of the event and Director of HealthRight International.

Only by joining the efforts of civil society organizations, psychologists, lawyers, and the state can we build a system based on dignity and pave the way for true recovery and justice

You can watch the recording of the online panel at the link.