UN Human Rights Office
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the UN Secretariat, headed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It is headquartered at the Palais Wilson in Geneva and operates under a mandate established by the UN General Assembly in 1993. The Office works to promote and protect human rights worldwide, including through monitoring, reporting and providing technical assistance to states. It investigates violations, publishes thematic and country reports, and supports the work of the Human Rights Council and the treaty bodies.
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UN report documents over 1,000 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine since 2022
The UN Human Rights Office has documented around 1,004 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine between 24 February 2022 and the end of July of the reporting year, attributing 89% of cases to representatives of Russian authorities. The report, based on confidential interviews with hundreds of victims as well as court documents and official records, details specific methods including rape, genital mutilation, and the use of Soviet-era "tapik" field telephones to deliver electric shocks to victims' genitals. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for the immediate cessation of hostilities and a full Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.