Vitaliy Gersak: Ukrainian women veterans may be among the most vulnerable segments of the population

Women veterans make up about 10% of the total number of US veterans. More than a dozen federal laws specifically regulate the policy on women veterans. There are several dozen large programs for women veterans that are adapted specifically to the needs of women. There is no such law, no responsible government institution, no specialized national program in Ukraine," says volunteer soldier Vitaliy Gersak in an article on "Korrespondent", reports UNN. 

According to Gersak, along with the traditional set of services, benefits and opportunities offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to the general public, there are also specialized programs for American women veterans: 

• counseling and assistance related to Pap smears, breast cancer screening and mammography, reproductive health care, infertility and sexually transmitted diseases, menopause, and the treatment of physical or psychological conditions caused by acts of sexual violence;

• assistance during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care, as well as childcare;

• assistance with employment, resume writing and skill development, educational and training services to help find new career opportunities or continue education;

• legal services specifically designed for women veterans to help with issues such as disability claims, family law, and labor rights;

• a range of services to support women veterans in creating and developing their own businesses;

• financial literacy programs and counseling to help women veterans manage their finances and plan for the future; 

• outreach programs that educate women veterans about available benefits and services and encourage them to enroll in the numerous programs of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

"There is nothing like this in Ukraine.  Despite the fact that 48,000 women currently serve in the Ukrainian army, which is more than in the armies of any NATO country, the status of women in the military in Ukraine is regulated only by the 2018 law "On Equal Rights and Opportunities during Military Service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine." Only in February 2024, our defenders received the first summer set of women's military clothing for the first time in the history of the Ukrainian army. There is no winter clothing yet, so it will not be available until the cold weather sets in. As for the status of women veterans, we still do not even have such a concept. Women veterans have access to the general system of veterans' benefits, but among the available offers there are no ones that were created specifically for women, taking into account their age, family, domestic, physiological, biological, social, etc. needs," the author of the article emphasizes. 

Given the traditionally lower salaries and pensions among Ukrainian women, our female defenders risk becoming one of the most socially unprotected and "unnoticed by the state" segments of the population after demobilization, warns Gersak.