How War Targets Marginalised Groups.

 What is happening in the Ukraine is terrifying. Live updates about what is happening on news and social media websites mean that we are able to witness it in real time in a way that is different to how past generations have processed this news. Even between 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea, and 2022, our use and reliance on social media and our ability to receive information and disseminate it is different. Most of us will see updates on social media first, and although sources can vary wildly in their trustworthiness, increased access to social media means that we are able to hear from marginalised voices and amplify those voices quickly enough to make a real change to people's lives. Currently, the specific problems faced by Black African people escaping from Ukraine has started to circulate. Black people are facing racist discrimination from border patrols who refuse to let them through, refuse them visas and prioritise white Ukrainians for rescue. There are many reasons for this, some blatantly malevolent, and some more incidental, but all are risking the safety of a specific group of people. There are also other marginalised groups who are more vulnerable whose experiences are sidelined.

The first thing to understand is that war always exacerbates existing inequalities. When people's lives are a risk in such an immediate and monumental way, the prejudices that underlie our societies come to the fore in the decisions that are made about how to respond. We can see this happening with the treatment of Black foreigners trying to make their way out of Ukraine and get to safety, often to be able to go home to their families. Many students come from various African nations to study in the Ukraine, so are facing an additional discrimination due to being Black and of a different nationality. Reports have identified the prioritisation of women and children at border crossings, and then Ukrainian nationals, and the logic behind this is understandable but has some significant flaws. It is assumed that Ukrainian nationals are in the most danger from the Russian forces as they are the ones being invaded. However, this specific conflict is still taking place alongside racist discrimination against Black people in general which is already deeply rooted in both Russian and European culture. Bear in mind one of the reports from a Russian soldier saying that they don't know who the enemy is because 'they look like us'. Well if you are a Black person, or any person of colour, that immediate difference is enough to put you in more danger. There is also a long standing erasure of Black Europeans themselves, including Black Ukrainians, due to the miseducation about the first and second world wars. Black soldiers fought in both, soldiers of colour fought in both, some of whom were born in one of the allied countries and some of whom were conscripts from the colonies. Some had relationships with people while they were in Europe, some went home, some stayed, and babies with mixed heritage were born. Zhan Beleniuk, Ukraines first Black MP and first gold medal winning Olympian, has been active on social media getting support from fellow Olympians of any nationality and has stayed to fight for his country. However, his contribution is missing from the mainstream news reports. Many people are still unaware that Black Ukrainian nationals exist and will be trying to escape with their compatriots, but will they also be prioritised as Ukrainian citizens? 

It is accurate to say that in the majority of cases women and children are more vulnerable in conflict. It's obvious why children are, but women can fight alongside men, and there are many women already in the Ukrainian forces. However, women are still the most likely to be the main caregivers to children and the elderly and disabled, so a blanket restriction was put into place, for men between 18-60 to be forced to stay and women and children free to leave, with men over 60. This is simply a reflection of an existing patriarchy, but it is not always the case for every family. There are male primary caregivers, whether they are in a traditional marriage, single Dads or Dads who are gay couples with children. This leaves both the parents and the children with additional trauma, alongside the existing trauma of having to leave a loved one or stay to fight, if you know that your child is not with their main caregiver, that child will be more emotionally and psychologically bereft.    

Women are also vulnerable specifically due to their gender because of the proliferation of sexual violence in warfare. One of the many ways in which invading armies or conflicting sides try to break the enemy is to commit sexual violence against women and girls. The purpose of this is to demoralise and emasculate the men, shame and hurt the women, and even provide a sexual 'reward' to soldiers in combat and occupation. This is a very real, significant and likely threat which is specifically gendered. Sexual violence against men is also used in warfare, but as it is in times of peace, the vast majority of victims are female. The effects of this last long after a war transitions to peace, because of the very specific shame that is still associated with being a victim of rape and sexual violence, with victims often being shunned within society, and even blamed as traitors. Any children conceived as a result of rape also have an incredibly difficult time due to prejudice about their conception. Women are known to be carriers of culture, so they are actively targeted in warfare as a way to coerce the next generation to take on the culture of their father through unwanted pregnancies. If occupation continues, women are often held hostage by the perpetrator and the child is indoctrinated, or they are forced to give up their child. There will still be elderly Ukrainian women who have been the victims, witnesses or children of these exact circumstances after the USSR occupied Ukraine after the second world war. Stories of rapes and sexual violence by USSR soldiers have only been uncovered relatively recently because of the stigma, shame and terror these women experienced and the generational trauma it caused. This conflict is not just traumatising for Ukrainians, for many it is re-traumatising.

Another particularly vulnerable group are those who have disabilities, with anyone who has mobility problems or who rely on medication or medical devices to live, being particularly at risk. This makes it more difficult to escape, more difficult to survive, and more difficult to get visas to safer nations. We have already seen through the pandemic (which is not over) that disabled people have been treated as acceptable collateral damage so that society can go 'back to normal'. People have been unable to commit to wearing face masks to protect vulnerable people, so it is highly unlikely they will be willing to prioritise the safety of people who they have already deemed expendable in less immediately desperate circumstances. Even if they manage to get to safety, there are the additional problems of getting access to the healthcare they need, especially coming after the pandemic has strained existing health services beyond their limits. And even if their immediate needs are met, the long term consequences of the upheaval, and physicians who are not familiar to their individual needs can do a lot of damage. That's not even considering the prospect of potentially having to pay for it all. Ableism doesn't just impact people escaping, either. Warfare is a mass disabling event, with people suffering from new injuries both physically and psychologically.

The specific danger to LGBTQ people is often overlooked, partly because minority genders or sexualities may not be as immediately visible. However, Russia's abhorrent treatment of the LGBTQ community is well documented, and anyone who is LGBTQ is in additional danger because they will be targeted as representations of the West which Putin has railed against. Putin wants to stop Ukraine from Westernising, and wants Ukraine to be an extension of Russia. His Russia is responsible for the marginalisation, torture and deaths of LGBTQ people, and that will continue into Ukraine. LGBTQ Ukrainians are already marginalised in their society, and are in danger of being scapegoats to appease Russia if the invasion and occupation continues. Even closeted LGBTQ people are not safe, as all it takes is an accusation to put them at risk. 

This is why it is always relevant to talk about discrimination in all its forms. Some people mistakenly believe that responses to war transcend the prejudices which exist in peaceful societies. In fact, the opposite is true. Those prejudices and discriminations only deepen during conflict, and the only way to fight them is to identify them as they happen, and put pressure on those in power to mitigate them. It will literally save people's lives.