Attachments
“I want to thank UNFPA for its help and support. The hygiene kit and the rest of the backpack [dignity kit] contents are a godsend in this situation,”
– Iryna, recipient of the female essentials pack.
Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, UNFPA provided internally displaced women and girls with female essentials packs and dignity kits.
In March, women and girls who evacuated from conflict-affected areas and those staying in areas of humanitarian crisis received 5,000 kits. Distributed kits contain commodities for menstrual hygiene and personal care of women and girls. The kits help women and girls meet essential hygiene needs with dignity as they stay in temporary homes or shelters in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Poltava seeking refuge from hostilities.
NON-STOP SUPPORT OF THE GBV HOTLINE
Even as the country was waking to the shocks of the war, the national GBV hotline maintained service provision to everyone in need. Operated by La Strada with UNFPA and UK Government support, the 116 123 national toll-free hotline on prevention of domestic violence, trafficking and gender discrimination ensured non-stop provision of psychological counselling via messengers.
UNFPA supported the installation of a virtual teleconferencing system to enable operators’ work without attachment to the physical office in Kyiv. On 11 March, the hotline resumed phone consultations in full capacity.
In March 2022, the hotline for GBV survivors received 997 calls and provided free, confidential and accessible assistance in 314 cases of domestic and gender-based violence. Additionally, 589 beneficiaries received online psychological consultations and support.
Uninterrupted service provision by the hotline was both instrumental for timely response to GBV and reassuring for Ukrainians in times of uncertainty.