Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) (13:03): It is International Women’s Day, and there are so many wonderful things I could speak about, from our work to get more women elected, to our inquiry into economic equity for Victorian women or all of the amazing women in my own community doing remarkable things, but today I want to use my voice in Parliament to elevate the voices of women and children currently facing harrowing experiences in Ukraine. Already we are seeing devastating scenes of civilians killed by Russian shelling and many more families torn apart as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are displaced by the conflict, the majority of these women and children. Unfortunately we know that in crisis situations, particularly conflicts, women and children face a disproportionate risk of abuse, sexual violence, exploitation and trafficking. Right now Ukrainians, both men and women, are fighting for their very survival in terrifying circumstances against an aggressor who has no regard for the human suffering he is inflicting. The UN has already expressed grave concerns for women and children in this conflict. They have called for specific measures to ensure that women and girls are protected against the heightened risk of gender-based violence. Too many times we have seen the atrocities of war play out on the bodies of women and girls. We cannot stand silent on this, and it is worth noting that Ukrainian women are conspicuously absent from the negotiating table between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. I stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people at this time and the countless victims of this travesty that will have no voice in this senseless, unjust war.
