The role of sexual violence as a weapon of war in the Russian invasion of Ukraine will be discussed in a new landmark speaker series at Monash University promoting academic freedom of speech, starting this evening.
The Monash Scholars at Risk Speaker Series, which aims to raise awareness and advocate on behalf of international scholars who are unjustly threatened or persecuted for their work, will kick off with a keynote presentation from Ukrainian researcher Dr Marta Havryshko tonight, Thursday, 26 May at 5.30pm AEST.
Dr Havryshko, who evacuated from Ukraine with her son and is currently in Switzerland, will join Monash Faculty of Arts’ Professor Jacqui True, Associate Professor Paula Michaels and Dr Daniel Heller in a livestream discussion following her talk on sexual violence in the contemporary war in Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, as well as past wars.
The online event will be introduced and hosted by Monash University Provost and Senior Vice-President, Professor Susan Elliott AM.
Scholars at Risk is an international network of hundreds of institutions across more than 40 countries founded to protect the human rights of scholars, provide support for intellectuals threatened by persecution and violence, and promote the principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech worldwide.
Monash joined the network in 2018 and is one of 18 founding members in Australia. This is the first time it will host a major event.
