On November 25, 2025, an online All-Ukrainian panel discussion “Gender-Based Violence: Challenges of Implementing the Istanbul Convention During the War” was held, which was organized by the NGO “Expert Resource Gender in Details” in cooperation with the NGO “Activists” and timed to coincide with the start of the All-Ukrainian campaign “16 Days Against Violence”. Donetsk region was represented at the event by the Deputy Mayor of Novogrodivsk City, Olga Sydorova.
During the discussion, participants from different regions of Ukraine discussed how the Istanbul Convention is being implemented today and what real challenges the system faces in wartime, the availability of services for victims, the effectiveness of police work, and the readiness of communities to respond to cases of violence. Changes in response approaches, the complexity of launching programs for perpetrators, and interaction between different services were separately considered.
Olga Sydorova shared the experience of the Donetsk region, spoke about the forms of support for victims that are currently functioning in communities, the challenges that specialists face on the ground, and the impact of the war on the response system. “Despite extremely difficult conditions, the communities of the Donetsk region were able to preserve key forms of support for victims of domestic and gender-based violence. The most effective models today are those that are flexible, mobile, and able to quickly adapt to the security situation,” she emphasized.
The discussion became an important platform for regional exchange of experience and the formation of a common vision of how to make the protection system not formal, but truly effective, even in such difficult conditions that the country is experiencing today.