Ukrainian Human Rights Advocates at the Council of Europe

With support from a Women’s Opportunity Fund–Ukraine travel grant, Viktoriia Opanasiuk and Nataliia Bukhta of the Rivne Human Rights Group participated in the international conference “The Preventive Impact of the European Convention on Human Rights,” held at the Council of Europe headquarters in France.

During the conference, they joined working groups focused on addressing the consequences of wartime violence in Ukraine, exchanged expertise with international human rights professionals, and built new cross-border partnerships.

After returning to Ukraine, they have been actively sharing this knowledge through trainings for legal professionals — including lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and attorneys — as well as civil society organizations working in violence prevention.

Their participation strengthened Ukraine’s presence in international human rights dialogue and contributed directly to national efforts to prevent violence and support survivors.