As the international community gathered at the United Nations to observe International Women’s Day on March 9, 2026, the atmosphere within the assembly hall was one of somber determination. The annual event, which traditionally serves as both a celebration of progress and a call to action, found its focal point this year in the harrowing yet resilient stories emerging from Ukraine. UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway took to the podium, her presence underscoring a crisis that continues to evade comprehensive statistical capture: the systematic use of conflict-related sexual violence. Hathaway’s address did not merely highlight the brutality of war; it pointed toward a profound and dangerous vacuum in information that prevents survivors from accessing the justice and healing they deserve.
The cornerstone of Hathaway’s remarks was a stark admission that remains a hurdle for humanitarian organizations and legal bodies alike. Despite years of documentation and reporting, there is still no reliable data on exactly how many people in Ukraine have been affected by conflict-related sexual violence. This lack of data is not a failure of will, but rather a reflection of the immense barriers survivors face, ranging from the immediate physical dangers of an active war zone to the deep-seated social stigmas that often follow such trauma. In the context of the Ukrainian conflict, sexual violence has been identified by various international observers as more than a byproduct of chaos; it is frequently utilized as a deliberate tactic of war, intended to humiliate, displace, and break the spirit of entire communities.
The challenge of quantifying this violence is compounded by the collapse of local infrastructure in occupied or frontline territories. When hospitals are destroyed and police forces are displaced, the formal mechanisms for reporting and recording crimes vanish. For many survivors, the priority is immediate survival—finding food, shelter, and safety for their families—which leaves little room for the arduous process of seeking legal recourse or medical documentation of assault. Hathaway emphasized that without a clear, data-driven understanding of the scale of these atrocities, the international community’s response will remain perpetually underfunded and structurally inadequate.
However, where statistics fail to capture the full scope of the human experience, art and creative advocacy are stepping in to bridge the gap. One of the most poignant elements of the current movement to support Ukrainian survivors is the collaboration between those who have lived through the trauma and the artists dedicated to amplifying their voices. Since 2024, photographer Oleksandra Zborovska has been working closely with a survivor named Daria on a series of creative projects designed to reclaim the narrative of those affected by the conflict. This partnership represents a shift in how the world perceives survivors—not as passive victims of statistics, but as active participants in the preservation of their own history.
Zborovska’s work with Daria is rooted in the belief that visual storytelling can penetrate the collective consciousness in ways that a traditional report cannot. By focusing on Daria’s perspective and her agency, the project aims to strip away the "victim" label and replace it with a more complex, dignified portrayal of survival. This creative approach is essential in a landscape where survivors are often hesitant to come forward due to the fear of being defined solely by their trauma. Through these images and creative expressions, the "voice" of the survivor becomes a tool of resistance against the silence that the perpetrators of violence seek to impose.
The necessity of this work is underscored by the United Nations’ broader Sustainable Development Agenda. The push for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls—central tenets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—cannot be realized in a world where conflict-related sexual violence remains a common weapon. The intersection of SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) is where the struggle for Ukraine’s survivors is most visible. Achieving these goals requires a robust legal framework that can hold perpetrators accountable, but accountability is impossible without evidence and the testimony of those who have suffered.
Furthermore, the psychological toll of this violence extends far beyond the physical acts. In Ukraine, as in many other conflict zones, the "shame" associated with sexual violence is often weaponized against the survivor by their own social circles or by the psychological operations of the enemy. This makes the work of ambassadors like Hathaway and artists like Zborovska even more critical. They are tasked with changing the global culture surrounding sexual violence—moving the shame away from the survivor and placing it firmly on the perpetrator. Hathaway’s speech at the UN served as a reminder that the international community has a moral obligation to create an environment where survivors feel safe enough to speak, knowing they will be met with support rather than judgment.
The ongoing creative project between Zborovska and Daria also highlights the importance of long-term commitment. Advocacy is not a one-time event; it is a sustained effort that must evolve as the conflict does. Since their collaboration began in 2024, the project has documented the changing landscape of recovery and the persistent need for specialized psychological services. Many survivors require years of therapy and medical care, yet international funding often fluctuates based on the current news cycle. By maintaining a constant creative presence, these advocates ensure that the world does not "tune out" the ongoing needs of Ukrainian women and men.
As the UN Women’s observation of International Women’s Day concluded, the call for better data collection became a rallying cry for the year ahead. Experts argue that innovative methods, such as secure digital reporting platforms and community-based monitoring, must be integrated into humanitarian aid packages. By empowering local NGOs and grassroots organizations—who often have the highest level of trust within their communities—the international community can begin to build a more accurate picture of the crisis. This data is not just for historical record; it is the foundation upon which reparations, specialized healthcare, and international prosecutions will be built.
The road to justice for Ukraine is long, and the scars of conflict-related sexual violence will take generations to heal. However, the synergy between high-level diplomacy and grassroots creative advocacy offers a glimmer of hope. When global icons like Anne Hathaway use their platform to demand better data and more resources, they provide the political cover necessary for policy changes. Simultaneously, when survivors like Daria choose to share their stories through the lens of artists like Oleksandra Zborovska, they humanize the struggle and ensure that the world sees the person behind the tragedy.
In the final analysis, the fight against conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine is a fight for the soul of international law and human rights. It is a test of whether the promises made in the halls of the United Nations can be translated into tangible safety for a woman in a frontline village or a refugee in a transit center. As the 2026 International Women’s Day commemorations made clear, the silence is being broken, one story and one photograph at a time. The mission now is to ensure that once the silence is gone, the world is ready to listen, to believe, and to act with the urgency that justice demands. The Sustainable Development Agenda provides the roadmap, but it is the courage of survivors and the persistence of their allies that will ultimately drive the world toward a future where such violence is no longer a tool of war, but a relic of a darker past.
