The Third Ukrainian Women’s Congress was launched on 10 December 2019 in Kyiv. The second session of the Congress discussed the empowerment of women in human rights field.

Tamila Tasheva noted that the women’s movement was, above all, about solidarity. The protest movement in Crimea has now a female face. Mothers, wives, sisters, daughters of the political prisoners, left without men, assumed all responsibility for families, including struggle to release their men.

The Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea remembered the names of human rights defenders Lilia Gemedgy and Emine Avamileva, defending the rights of political prisoners in Crimea; civic activists: Lyutfie Zudieva, Mumine Salieva, Gulsum Alieva; the female members of the Crimean Tartar and Ukrainian resistance movement Aishe Seitamuratova, Olga Pavlenko, Lilia Budzhurova, Larysa Kytaiskaya, Lenora Dyulber, the deseased Vedgie Kashka and murderd Katya Gudzuk

“A lot of women that we must share our solidarity with are behind the figures concerning the number of political prisoners, information on the searches in the houses of the Crimean Tartars and Ukrainians. Their rights as women on the front line in combating today’s threats in Donbass and Crimea are violated as well.”, Tamila Tasheva pointed out.

According to Mrs. Tamila, there is a myth that the majority of women, engaged in human rights protection allegedly due to their “ability of compassion” being in a status of “custodians”. In fact, in long stressful situations, the women are more resistant under the existent challenges such as war, occupation of Crimea. Interviewing and documenting all the crimes, committed in Crimea and Donbass require a great effort. As men are more dexterous in situations requiring rapid reaction, so women are resilient for long periods.

Human rights activity in modern Ukraine is a life in constant stress and female human rights defenders mostly do this work. In Ukraine, women lead numerous human rights organizations. It is everyday calls for solidarity. I propose to invite female human rights defenders from the temporarily occupied territories to such events like today’s”, Tamila Tasheva summed up.