The terror and trauma of the women in Ukraine

the woman had died, and the baby never got to breathe. 

They are glimpses of suffering generated by war, but they do not tell the full story of the women and girls caught in the Ukraine crisis, a story of displacement and trauma, with risks for abuse and exploitation that can have myriad impacts on their health and well-being during this conflict and beyond.

The UN has warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be the largest humanitarian crisis since WWII, one which experts predict will hit women and girls particularly hard. 

“Women and girls face heightened risks due to displacement and the breakdown of normal protection structures and support,” UN Women told USA TODAY in a statement. “The contraction of routine health services and restrictions creates barriers to the provision of services and access to justice. In past conflicts, we have seen parties to armed conflict use sexual violence as a cruel tactic of war, terror, torture and political repression in order to advance their strategic objectives.”

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More than 70% of women have experienced gender-based violence in some crisis settings. Research shows women and girls affected by armed conflict are exposed to an increased level of traumatic experiences, which is associated with an increased prevalence of anxiety disorders and depression. While it’s too early to know the specific long-term impacts on Ukrainians, experts say the stress of sudden displacement, separation from family members, loss of home and livelihood are already taking a toll. 

Women lose services and protections

When conflict breaks out, women with specific and daily healthcare needs and those who rely on government protections often lose access to crucial services, whether because infrastructure collapses or because it’s no longer safe to access them. 

The image of the pregnant woman on the stretcher underscores the vulnerabilities, for example, of women who require prenatal care.

“Just because war breaks out doesn’t mean that women’s need for sexual and reproductive healthcare is suspended,” said Kim Thuy Seelinger, director of the Center for Human Rights, Gender Migration at Washington University in St. Louis.

Women who are victims of existing violence may not have protections enforced, and those seeking new ones may not be able to access them as institutions break down. Experts say women living in refugee camps are at an increased risk of gender-based violence, which can impact their physical, mental and reproductive health in the short and long-term.

When men stay behind, many women lose their family units

Men in Ukraine ages 18-60 are banned from leaving the country because they could be conscripted to fight. The majority of people fleeing Ukraine are women with children and unaccompanied minors, who have unique risks and needs. 

With the family unit fractured, many women are faced with new and stressful caregiving responsibilities. A 2006 paper in the medical journal “World Psychiatry” on the mental health consequences of war found if “the household is facing disaster, this may overload women’s capacity to cope, as preoccupation with the needs of the family may lead to that they are not able to consider their own needs.”

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Seelinger said it’s heartening to see the support from individual citizens in neighboring countries, many of whom are opening up their homes in support of refugees. This is essential, she said, to help protect Ukrainians from immediate harm, but it’s unclear how long the compassion will last, and she fears Ukrainian women may be harmed by those with ill-intent. 

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