Ministry for Veterans Affairs to work on launching effective system of reintegration of women veterans into civil life
Today, at the online meeting devoted to the 20th anniversary of the 1325 United Nations Security Council resolution on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325), the issue of reintegration of women veterans has been raised.
The representatives of the ministries and agencies at the level of deputy ministers as well as the representatives of civic society, Women Veterans Movement and Ukrainian Women’s Fund participated in the meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishynа.
As of today, the number of women veterans in Ukraine accounts for approximately 16, 000 and is still growing as the war on the east of Ukraine is ongoing. Demobilized women encounter the following main problems: prejudice from employment agencies, medical institutions and social services stuff; inadequate knowledge on available services (receiving status and benefits); an ineffective mechanism for providing rehabilitation services and the lack of an integrated approach to accessing women’s needs. These issues create new objectives for the state and society.
According to Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine on European Integration, Oleksiy Illiashenko, from now on, the Ministry for Veterans Affairs will play a key role in forming state policy on social guarantees for women veterans and their reintegration, particularly, in solving issues of medical and technical, financial and administrative support, as well as in establishing a process of reintegration of women veterans in the civil life.
“The current situation is that after dismissal from military service, women veterans are left on their own in their search for new self-identity in civilian life, and no clearly defined mechanism for reintegration exists," underlined Oleksiy Illiashenko.
One of the tools for creating a mechanism for reintegration is the development of legal rules in the context of not only professional but also medical and social adaptation. Moreover, one of the predominant issues remains the creation of an algorithm to prevent and combat domestic violence against women veterans in regions.
In his turn, Deputy Minister Oleksiy Illiashenko highlighted that the Ministry for Veterans Affairs focuses on providing help to widows who bring up children alone after their husbands’ deaths and single mothers veterans.
“We are pleased that the issue of women veterans is raised on such a high level. It is of the greatest importance that the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Social Policy and the Ministry of Health join the resolution of problems of women veterans reintegration,” mentioned Oleksiy Illiashenko.
The involvement of the national consultant on gender equality of UN Women to the Ministry for Veterans Affairs Andriana Arekhta is a testimony to the fact that the Ministry supports initiatives on gender equality and gender-sensitive needs.
The Ministry for Veterans Affairs together with UN Women champion the introduction of a gender component in the state policy on veterans and women veterans and observance of equal rights and opportunities.
