Conflict-Induced Displacement of Ukrainian Women, Pregnancy, COVID-19, and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda in Poland

Russia’s military actions in Ukraine have forced many Ukrainians, mostly women and children, to leave the country, creating the largest refugee crisis in Europe since WWII. Allegations of sexual violence by Russian armed forces against Ukrainian women and girls are mounting. On 5 May 2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war by the Russian Federation and requested that the EU countries ‘guarantee access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services, particularly emergency contraception, post-exposure prophylaxis and abortion case, including for survivors of rape’. Poland has taken the highest number of Ukrainian refugees, while having Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws. The Polish government tightened its abortion laws further under the cover of COVID-19 restrictions, bypassing democratic processes. Current Polish law permits abortion only in two cases: when the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act (i.e., rape or incest) or when a mother’s life is at risk. This meant that the Ukrainian refugees women in Poland who were pregnant due to rape by the Russian soldiers and required to access abortion services either had to prove that their pregnancy was the outcome of rape, which meant a certified letter from a public prosecutor, or had to travel to a neighbouring country for abortion services. In this piece, I will explore the lived experiences of the Ukrainian refugees in Poland, especially the survivors of rape and survivors who were pregnant and faced challenges accessing the abortion services in Poland. I will also analyse the Polish National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP) 2018-2021, and its relevance to people on the move, especially the survivors of rape and sexual violence.