Karolina Jonderko

Photographer
  
Assignment: She was raped in Ukraine. How many others have stories like hers?
Location: Warsaw
Nationality: polish
Biography: Born in 1985 in Rydułtowy. Coal miner's daughter. Member of Napo Images Agency. The first Silesian woman to receive the World Press Photo Award in 2021.  Her long-term projects were nationally and internationally awarded by Magnum &... MORE
Public Story
Assignment: She was raped in Ukraine. How many others have stories like hers?
Copyright Karolina Jonderko 2024
Updated Oct 2022
Location Warsaw, Poland
Topics Media
Just a week into the war, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba alleged there had been “numerous cases” of Ukrainian women being raped by Russian soldiers. But more than 100 days into the conflict, investigators are still struggling to assess the prevalence of sexual violence — and how many people have stories like Kateryna’s.
Ukraine has accused Russian troops of rape, a tough crime to prosecute
Not only is access and information limited in occupied areas such as Mariupol, but trauma, fear and stigma can deter people from coming forward.

“To investigate sexual crimes on the occupied territory, when we are still in the military conflict, is very hard,” said Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova. “It’s very difficult, because the victims are actually scared.”
Polish prosecutors, who have gathered more than 1,000 war crimes testimonies from refugees, say none so far relate to sexual violence.

For the moment at least, Kateryna remains one of the uncounted. She retreated to her cot as researchers logging potential war crimes made their way around the refugee center where she was staying in Poland, having escaped Mariupol on a circuitous route through Russia.
She later volunteered her story to Washington Post journalists as they interviewed another member of her group. But as far as reporting her case to authorities, she said: “I’m not ready yet.”

Assignment for the Washington Post
LinkedIn Icon Facebook Icon Twitter Icon
930

Also by Karolina Jonderko —

Story

Assignment: How polish milk bars survive inflation

Karolina Jonderko / Warsaw
Story

Assignment: Border village in east Poland hit by deadly fallout from war next door

Karolina Jonderko
Story

Assignment: Poland, a land of refuge for Ukrainian foster children

Karolina Jonderko
Story

Assignment: An ‘unprecedented’ effort to document war crimes in Ukraine

Karolina Jonderko
Story

Assignment: War drones

Karolina Jonderko / Poland
Story

Assignment: Ms. Kucharenko is coming to the West

Karolina Jonderko / Poland, Warsaw
Story

Assignment: "Pro-defense training for Civilians"

Karolina Jonderko / Poland, Wloclawek
Story

Reborn

Karolina Jonderko / Poland
Story

Little Poland

Karolina Jonderko / Newton Abbot, England, UK
Story

Self-portrait with my Mother

Karolina Jonderko
Story

LOST

Karolina Jonderko
Assignment: She was raped in Ukraine. How many others have stories like hers? by Karolina Jonderko
Sign-up for
For more access