Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Prime Minister on the safety of women and child refugees fleeing Ukraine.

We are committed to supporting Ukrainian women and girls, recognising the critical contribution women are making on the frontline and in communities affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The UK has pledged £220 million of humanitarian assistance to save lives and to protect vulnerable people, including women and children, inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries as they are forced to flee to safety.

This builds on the UK's longstanding support to Ukraine, including through the Good Governance Fund and Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programmes. These programmes provide ongoing support to women and excluded groups' social, political and economic participation across the country. Since 2015, the UK has supported Ukraine's efforts to respond to and end Gender Based Violence (GBV) and has helped to establish 16 shelters, 5 crisis rooms, and 10 centres for GBV survivors across the country - this foundation is now vital in responding to the increased risk of violence against women and girls since the invasion began. We are also working closely with Education Cannot Wait on the design of an emergency education programme for children in Ukraine and in parallel a programme for refugees who are arriving in Moldova.