On 4 March in Lviv, Andra Levite, doctor gynaecologist and spouse of the President of Latvia, was invited to speak at the international conference "United for Justice" on sexual violence as a weapon of war. A. Levite was joined on the panel by Olena Zelenska, spouse of the President of Ukraine, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament.
The wife of the President explained that the destruction of hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure during wartime is intended to intimidate and demoralise the population. The same applies to sexual violence, which is mostly experienced by women and girls during the war, but also by men and boys.
Based on her long professional experience as a medical doctor, A. Levite noted that sexual violence can have various consequences on the victim - both short-term and long-term physical effects, as well as deeply personal ones that can also affect the entire society. “The consequences for society after the brutal rape of women might be the loss of their participation in civil society, the loss of their creativity and commitment in professional life, the loss of their energy to raise and educate their children. [..] Women suffering severe mental health issues after experiencing sexual violence are painfully missed in building and changing the social, cultural and economic future of a nation”, explained A. Levite.
The President's spouse said: "For victims to recover both physically and emotionally, help should be offered in an unbiased and empathetic manner. It should be available as soon after the crime as possible, close to where the victim lives and offered in the victims’ native language.
A. Levite also pointed out, that Latvia provides support for both physical and psychological rehabilitation of victims, especially focusing on women and girls: “Latvia has developed a centre in Ivano-Frankivsk as well as provided support for documentation of war crimes and advocacy for human rights. Latvia will continue to advance the globally accepted ‘Women, Peace and Security’ program at home and internationally”.
In her speech, the spouse of the President of Latvia addressed another serious Russian war crime, namely, the deportation and forced Russification of Ukrainian children. “This is not a physical rape, but rather a mental and emotional one. The Russian authorities should not be so sure that these children will forget their origins. Many neuroscientists suggest that early childhood experiences are stored in our brains throughout our lives and can be reactivated in unpredictable circumstances. [..] The fate of these Ukrainian children will not be forgotten”, said A. Levite. She also emphasized that now the Russians are repeating in Ukraine the same crime they committed in Latvia in 1941 and 1949 when they deported thousands of Latvian children to Siberia.
The spouse of the President strongly expressed the position that war crimes committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, including sexual violence, must be brought to trial by national and international courts. “Victims should not be ashamed of what they have had to experience. The perpetrators, however, should be truly afraid of justice and the punishment they are due”, notes A. Levite.
Speech by Andra Levite, spouse of the President of Latvia, at the conference "United for Justice": https://www.president.lv/lv/jaunums/andras-levites-runa-konference-vienoti-taisnigumam-lviva
