• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Lithuania emphasizes the importance of legal responsibility amid a significant increase in cases of sexual violence in conflicts

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Updated 2025-08-21

Lithuania's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Rytis Paulauskas, participating in the UN Security Council's open debate on sexual violence in conflict, highlighted the rapidly growing number of cases of conflict-related sexual violence, which has increased by as much as 25 percent in recent years. This alarming fact highlights the need to strengthen prevention measures and accountability mechanisms worldwide, including in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Palestine, Myanmar, Syria, and other countries in the region.

Ambassador R. Paulauskas strongly condemned all cases of sexual violence committed in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine: "Russia is using sexual violence against civilians, especially women and girls, as well as against Ukrainian prisoners of war, who often refrain from testifying due to the trauma they have experienced and the stigma that still exists."

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, since the start of Russia's large-scale war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022, sexual violence has been systematically used against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians. The scale and systematic nature of these acts would indicate possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. In his statement, Lithuania's Permanent Representative R. Paulauskas emphasized the need to include Russian armed forces, the Russian prison service, and the Russian security services in the annexes to the UN Secretary-General's annual report on sexual violence in conflict.

Lithuania strongly supports the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, whose role in documenting these war crimes is indispensable. Legal accountability for these crimes is essential to prevent their recurrence in the future.

Lithuania called on all UN members to actively support UN Action, the only UN systemic coordination platform that brings together humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts to effectively combat sexual violence in conflict.

In 2025, Lithuania approved the third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for 2025-2029, which pays particular attention to support for victims of sexual violence in Ukraine.

The statement by Lithuania's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Rytis Paulauskas