We are launching a new project, “Dignity and Memory: Recognizing Civilian Victims of War,” which aims to study approaches to honoring the memory of civilian victims of war in Ukraine, support communities that have suffered losses, and develop recommendations for memorialization policies.
Why is this project important?
The full-scale war in Ukraine has led to massive losses among the civilian population—deaths, abductions, enforced disappearances, and illegal imprisonment.
Despite the scale of the tragedies, commemorating the dead and supporting families remain underrepresented in the public sphere and in national memory policy.
Local communities that have faced these losses need tools to make sense of their experiences, talk about their pain, and get recognition.
This project aims to help communities with this process—and at the same time, help shape policies that recognize this part of the shared experience of war.
What are we planning?
The project envisages four interrelated areas of work:
- Dialogues in affected communities
We will hold a series of dialogue meetings in communities to provide space for reflection on losses and recognition of experiences. The methodology for such dialogues will be developed in advance and facilitators will be trained. - Formulation of recommendations on memory policies
Based on an analysis of Ukrainian and international practices, recommendations will be formulated on the memorialization of civilian victims. This will be part of a broader discussion on transitional justice in Ukraine. - Advocacy and public communication
We will launch a media campaign to raise public awareness of the importance of proper memorialization. - Documenting community stories
We will publish stories on the Sylanka platform, a space for memory created to record voices. In addition, an interactive map of memorialization initiatives will be created, which will allow existing practices to be tracked and new ones to be added.
The project aims to provide tools for reflecting on experiences, discussing pain, and honoring the memory of the dead and victims.
Through dialogue, stories, analysis of practices, and a media campaign, we seek to increase public awareness of this issue and promote the development of inclusive memorialization policies in Ukraine.
The project “Dignity and Memory: Recognition of Civilian Victims of War” is implemented by the NGO “Institute for Peace and common ground” with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. The content of the publications does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.
