VIENNA: Women who have fled the Ukraine war are experiencing "high rates" of physical, sexual and psychological violence in the European Union, the bloc's rights agency said Tuesday, calling for better protection.
Some 2.5 million women and girls have left Ukraine since Russia invaded four years ago and been granted temporary protection in member states, but many face hurdles, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) said in a report.
"Despite the protections offered by the EU, many women suffer serious violations; others feel unsafe," FRA director Sirpa Rautio said.
"EU member states must ensure that women receive protection, support and justice for what they have endured so that they can rebuild their lives," she added.
One in four women from Ukraine have experienced physical or sexual violence since the start of the war, meaning they face a greater risk than the general population, according to FRA data.
Of them, 62 percent suffered the violence in one of the 27 EU states where they now live, and nine percent while fleeing to the EU, FRA added.
Thirty-nine percent experienced the violence in Ukraine -- in many cases at the hands of Russian forces.
The FRA report was based on a 2024 survey of more than 1,200 Ukrainian women who fled the war and were living in Czech Republic, Germany and Poland, as well as interviews with 30 women in those countries who had experienced violence.
The survey found that 51 percent of Ukrainian women were sexually harassed since the war began, and 23 percent were sexually harassed online, a higher rate than among women in the EU overall.
Some 54 percent have experienced an attack or a negative reaction after they spoke Ukrainian in public -- with cases especially in Czech Republic and Poland.
Nearly one in four women from Ukraine have also encountered "potentially exploitative offers of transport, housing or work," while many among those working reported not having a contract covering their hours, FRA found.
Nearly a third had no access to mental health services to overcome the trauma of war, while very few women reported incidents to police or support organisations, FRA said.
