Protecting Civilian Men and Families in Ukraine
Civilian men in Ukraine between 18-60 have been barred from fleeing the country during the war. This research project examines the impact of this gendered law on civilian men, women and children and explores the politics of gender and civilian protection in Ukraine.
The Right to Flee
Preventing men from fleeing with their families violates Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states “Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own.” While Article 4 of the treaty does permit exceptions to this rule in times of national security crises, the treaty explicitly states these exceptions cannot involve discrimination solely on the ground of sex.
Remarks from Human Security Lab’s Webinar, November 14, 2022
Human Security Lab’s Professor Charli Carpenter and University of Newcastle’s Professor Amy Maguire speak about the human rights implications of the travel ban on civilian men and its impact on men, their families, students and conscientious objectors.
What do Ukrainians Think?
As part of its real-time conflict research, Human Security Lab fielded a random survey of all Ukraine adult internet users in Summer 2022, and found a majority of Ukrainians do not support requiring men to stay inside the country.
What do Ukrainians Say In Their Own Words?
Human Security Lab’s research team analyzed over 700 unique comments from Ukrainians about why they believe civilian men should be required to stay, allowed to flee or “something different.” All three groups converged on the idea that the travel ban was not necessarily helpful to the war effort and numerous policy alternatives exist.
Read more about this survey in Foreign Policy Magazine and World Politics Review.