Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they will ensure in their meeting of international justice ministers in March that (1) practical, and (2) financial, support is provided to ensure perpetrators of alleged war crimes against women and children in Ukraine are brought to justice.

The UK is committed to pursuing accountability for the atrocities being perpetrated by Russian forces against women and children in Ukraine. The £1 million voluntary contribution that the UK provided to the International Criminal Court (ICC) last year will contribute to enhancing capacity with respect to investigations into crimes of sexual and gender-based violence and crimes against children, led by the Prosecutors’ special adviser on crimes against and affecting children. In Ukraine, we are providing personnel from the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Team of Experts to support capacity building amongst prosecutors and the police as well as support to victims, including women and children.

On 20 March 2023, Justice Ministers from around the world will convene in London. The Justice Ministers Conference is focused on enhancing practical and technical support to the ICC for its investigation into the situation in Ukraine.

One of the thematic sessions of the Conference is focused on supporting victims and witnesses of trauma. The session will explore strengthening support for ICC investigations into sexual and gender-based violence in Ukraine, and sharing best practices to be adopted when interviewing children to avoid re-traumatisation during the evidence gathering process.