LocationsAn investigator and a psychologist: human-centred approach to investigating conflict-related sexual violence cases
June 19, 2025
Natalia Potseluieva, Consultant for Psychological Support and Interview Coordination for the Office of the Prosecutor General, spoke to UNDP in Ukraine about the role of psychological support for conflict-related sexual violence survivors during the documentation of these crimes.
19 June marks the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, as of 2 June 2025, 363 cases of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) have been documented in Ukraine. It is vital that such crimes are properly documented and investigated to ensure justice.
Natalia Potseluieva, Consultant for Psychological Support and Interview Coordination for the Office of the Prosecutor General, spoke to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) about her role in providing psychological support to survivors when investigating CRSV cases.
“I always accompany my clients in terms of criminal proceedings – I take part in interrogations and identification procedures,” says Natalia.
“It’s important to understand that when we work with the survivors of sexual violence, the moment of re-traumatisation is very delicate. Any question can be a trigger for them. We prepare them and tell them what will happen.
“An investigative interview is a detailed recollection of what has happened, including uncomfortable details. In other words, it’s a return to the moment of trauma. And here there can be a lot of different psychological reactions, so the moment of stabilisation is very important. Therefore, during the interviews, we don’t just sit there – we observe the client's reaction. If I see that something’s going wrong, I stop the process and say that we need a break. Whether there will be a re-traumatisation or not depends on the investigator and the psychologist working together successfully in tandem.”
Natalia Potselueva: “Whether there will be a re-traumatisation or not depends on the investigator and the psychologist working successfully in tandem.”
Psychological support is essential throughout all stages of an investigation. First, during preparation for investigative interview, a professional psychologist can help identify potentially triggering topics that should be discussed with caution or be postponed or omitted. The psychologist also helps to develop the sequence and form of questions, and during the interview itself, assesses the psycho-emotional state of the survivor. Often, the mere presence of a psychologist helps the survivors feel more comfortable and safer. Immediately after the interview is completed, psychologists also monitor the survivor’s condition and help them to stabilize it if required.
At the same time, Natalia emphasises that it is important for law enforcement officers, particularly investigators, to understand how to investigate cases of CRSV. During the training sessions they conduct for law enforcement agencies, some participants are familiar with such concepts as the trauma-informed approach, re-traumatisation, or stigmatisation. However, there are also those who are unfamiliar with these concepts, as well as with what CRSV is and what approaches should be taken to it during an investigation.
“Not all new employees understand what CRSV is,” Natalia notes. “(They might not know) that, for example, forced nudity is CRSV, or applying an electrical current to the genitals is a CRSV case too. It's also necessary to work with regions, give instructions, talk, and explain.”
Respect, care, patience, understanding and sincere empathy are key aspects of investigators’ work with survivors of sexual violence, Natalia adds.
Natalia Potseluieva on the role of psychologists during investigations of cases of CRSV: “During the interviews, we don’t just sit there – we observe the client's reaction. If I see that something’s going wrong, I stop the process and say that we need a break.”
The conditions under which the interviewing of the survivors and witnesses are conducted are also important. The space where communication with a survivor takes place must be comfortable, and provide a sense of confidentiality and safety. Priority should be given to specially equipped spaces designed for interviewing survivors of violence – so-called “Soft Interview Rooms,” which have comfortable furniture and are equipped with appropriate video and audio recording equipment for documenting testimony. Importantly, the place should not resemble an interrogation room.
However, the main priority for psychologists working with CRSV survivors is the people themselves and their mental state.
“I don't allow certain clients to be interviewed because their wellbeing is my priority.” Natalia says. “If a client isn’t ready, I insist that they’re not interviewed until such as time as they’re ready for it.”
It's important to remember that CRSV is a war crime that has no statute of limitations.
UNDP in Ukraine is working on projects aimed at expanding access to justice for survivors of CRSV. As part of these initiatives, UNDP provides support to law enforcement agencies in implementing a trauma-informed approach to investigate cases of CRSV, as well as creating a support system for victims and witnesses in criminal proceedings.
With the support of UNDP in Ukraine within the ”UN Action Network Against Sexual Violence in Conflict” project, professional psychologists are working with the Office of the Prosecutor General in Ukraine to provide support to victims during investigations of all war crimes, including CRSV.
The Platform for the Survivors is operating in Ukraine – an online platform that gathers information and contact details of support services for those affected by the war: www.help-platform.in.ua
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