“Unbreakable. The History of Ukrainian Human Rights Advocacy in Interviews” by Tamara Martsenyuk — is the second book in the “Svoye. Ukrainian Feminism” series by Creative Women Publishing, the first feminist publishing house in Ukraine. The series highlights the history and development of feminist and women’s movements in Ukraine. The book brings together 31 interviews about how people in Ukraine defend human rights during wartime.
Among the women featured are Kateryna Levchenko, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Larysa Denysenko, Yuliia Nuzban, Khrystyna Kit, Oksana Pokalchuk, Zemfira Kondur, and other human rights defenders from different regions of Ukraine.
Throughout the book, they speak about the fight for women’s rights, Roma communities’ rights, protection of displaced people, prisoners of war and those missing, support for vulnerable groups, countering domestic violence, documenting war crimes, assistance to people affected by the war, and restoring justice. These are not only personal stories — they form a collective portrait of Ukraine’s women-led human rights movement that is shaping the country.
Being the voice of those who are silenced and ignored, the helping hand for those who need it, a representation of Ukraine on the international stage, and an inspiration for hundreds and thousands of people — all of this requires strength. And in that strength — steadfastness.
You can purchase “Unbreakable. The History of Ukrainian Human Rights Advocacy in Interviews” by Tamara Martsenyuk via the
Creative Women Publishing website.
Excerpt
Roma human rights defender Zemfira Kondur: “Officials’ indifference to Roma people’s problems is our present-day challenge”
Recorded in April 2018, updated in January 2025
Zemfira (Zola) Kondur has worked for more than 20 years on issues affecting Roma people in Ukraine in general, and Roma women in particular. She is the Vice President of the
Roma Women’s Fund “Chirikli”, and a fundraiser for the Roma online radio
Chiriklo. She also serves as Deputy Head of the Interagency Working Group under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on implementing the action plan for the Strategy for the Protection and Integration of the Roma National Minority into Ukrainian society through 2020.
Since the mid-2000s, Zola Kondur has also worked at the Institute of Pedagogy of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine in the Department for Teaching Languages of National Minorities and Foreign Literature, developing curricula and learning materials for teaching in the Romani language. In 2017, she entered postgraduate studies at Zaporizhzhia National University to examine social policy in greater depth.
For many years she has been active in the human rights field with a focus on Roma issues, including as a consultant to international human rights organizations. She professionally advocates for Roma issues at both Ukrainian and international levels. She represents the interests of Ukrainian Roma at the UN, OSCE, the European Parliament, and the Council of Europe.
A documentary video about Zola Kondur’s initiatives aimed at educating women and promoting their rights in traditional Roma families was produced by
Deutsche Welle
as part of the #LocalHeroes project.
Since 2018, Zola Kondur has worked at the Council of Europe as a project manager on anti-discrimination, national minorities and Roma issues, and equality. Her work is closely connected to Ukraine’s European integration processes, the implementation of legislation on national minorities (communities), and the Roma National Strategy.
— Please share the story of how you became involved in Ukraine’s human rights movement. Why did you decide to work in this field?
In 1993, when I was studying at the Izmail State Pedagogical University, my father Anatolii founded one of the first Roma civil society organizations in Ukraine — the Roma Association of Izmail. He was just starting out and needed support. At first I helped him write letters to the administration, and later I helped organize events. And so, almost without noticing it, I became deeply involved — and for more than 20 years now I have worked in the field of protecting the rights of Roma people and Roma women.
People constantly came to my father and to his father, Fedir, seeking support in defending their rights and representing their interests. That’s why it feels completely natural to me. Sometimes I think I could have done something else — for example, taught, or started my own business. But when I see systemic violations of Roma rights, pogroms, limited access to education and healthcare, I understand that I still have to remain in the Roma movement and defend Roma rights — and especially the rights of Roma women.
— Where did you gain your education and knowledge in the field of human rights?
I remember my very first training in Kyiv — it was conducted by UNICEF. I was brought there accompanied by my whole family, and they checked whether everything was okay. Later there were trainings by the Council of Europe, OSCE, the European Roma Rights Centre, the UN, and many others. I also completed training for civic leaders in the United States.
All these trainings, seminars, and schools gave me a great deal of knowledge in the field of human rights. Later I worked as a consultant for the
European Roma Rights Centre, as well as for the Council of Europe and the OSCE, learning while working in parallel. I had wonderful “teachers” who taught me management and diplomacy, and gave me knowledge about gender issues and much more. I am endlessly grateful to them. And my parents provided a quality education to me and all seven children in our family. I have a higher pedagogical education and studied in postgraduate school.
— What issues do you work on within the human rights movement?
First and foremost, issues such as the right to quality education (which has always been and remains our priority), social and medical services, access to adequate housing, as well as the right to work, protection of Roma people from hate-motivated attacks, and combating discrimination against Roma.
— Have you worked specifically on women’s rights issues?
Yes, of course. Our organization, the
Roma Women’s Fund “Chirikli”,
works on the rights of Roma women and on Roma community issues more broadly.
When studying the Roma mediator program, we viewed it as a model for strengthening the role of Roma women in the community and as an opportunity to provide them with jobs. Later, when the program was launched in Ukraine, we saw how much it increased Roma women’s participation in community life. Women’s confidence grew, and they became economically independent.
But what makes me happiest today is that our Roma women have become professionals in the social and medical сфere. They are knowledgeable about civil documentation and many other areas. Today they are partners of social and medical services, and more.
Another example is
our report
to the Committee under the
UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW). After reviewing it, the Committee issued recommendations to Ukraine to improve the situation of women, especially regarding access to education, healthcare services, and identity documents.
We have also begun working with “UN Women Ukraine” to provide Roma women with as much knowledge as possible about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and how it can be used to protect their rights.
In December 2017, we invited Roma women to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to attend a session of a
roundtable on Roma women’s issues.
They were able to present the problems of their communities and share positive experience. I was happy because I never imagined that ordinary Roma women could participate in events at the parliamentary level.
Together with UN Women, we developed an ambitious idea to hold the Forum of Roma Women of Ukraine. Our goal is to draw attention to the situation of Roma women, highlight successful women, and shape our further strategy in this area.
— In your view, what have been the greatest achievements of the human rights movement in Ukraine?
I would say that there are certain achievements in the Roma movement. Over many years, we managed to unite; Roma men recognized Roma women leaders and accept them as equals. For example, there are Roma women in the
Coalition of Roma Non-Governmental Organizations.
The Coalition delegated Roma women to the Interagency Coordination Group under the Cabinet of Ministers, as well as to permanent working groups within ministries.
Another achievement is the adoption of the
Strategy for the Protection and Integration of the Roma National Minority into Ukrainian Society through 2020
and the
National Action Plan,
the establishment of the Interagency Working Group (IWG) under the Cabinet of Ministers, and its Secretariat. Together with partners, we lobbied for this for two years. Importantly, Roma representatives are included both in the IWG and in the Secretariat.
In addition, a success for me is the presence of
professional Roma women mediators
— they are already ready for active political participation — as well as expert Roma civil society organizations and specialists in different fields, and Roma deputies (so far mostly at the local level).
— What challenges does Ukraine’s human rights movement face today?
Sometimes we feel powerless. When, in
Kharkiv region, a regional council deputy
kills a Roma man and faces no punishment, you start to wonder: is human life worth anything in this country?
Another example:
a pogrom took place in the village of Loshchynivka
targeting Roma homes, and no one who incited hatred against Roma and destroyed houses was held accountable. Formalism, officials’ indifference to Roma issues, and an extremely high level of negative attitudes toward Roma in society — these are our present-day challenges. And all of this is intensified by the war in eastern Ukraine and a deep socio-economic and political crisis.
— In your opinion, does the human rights movement pay enough attention to gender issues?
Roma leaders, like much of society, often perceive “gender” as something directed against men and useful only for women. That’s why a lot of work is needed in the Roma movement: first to explain what gender equality is, and then to weave gender aspects into programs.
It was very difficult for us to start women’s programs in Roma communities and to develop Roma women leaders so they could work on an equal footing with men, because this was seen as unacceptable in the community. But today we can be glad that we have Roma women mediators. In our network there are 55 mediators, 23 of them are Roma women.
It seems to me that, for now, the Roma movement still lacks understanding and readiness to consciously work through gender issues. Yet a breakthrough is that more attention is already being paid to Roma women. And in the Roma movement there are women of different ages who can direct their work toward both men and women.
— Gender-based violence is a serious problem, including in Ukraine. What, in your view, should be done to change the situation for the better?
I think the situation can be changed through ongoing work with people of different ages — starting from kindergarten and all the way to grandmothers and grandfathers. In Roma communities, older women play a very significant role in the family and the community. Roma mediators and women leaders can be involved. If all of them explain that gender-based violence is unacceptable and respond to such cases, then, I hope, over time the situation can change.
I also hope that early or forced marriages will become a rare phenomenon in our communities. In my view, this is possible if girls and boys are given access to education.
— What or who inspires you most in your human rights work?
I am inspired by the people I work with and those I manage to help, my family, and my friends. I have been fortunate in life, because I have met very talented, creative, and incredibly interesting people. They are my spiritual teachers and mentors; they support and inspire me.
In human rights work, I greatly admire the work of Myriam Karoly, Rita Izsák, Željko Jovanović, Nicoleta Bițu, and many other people whom I have the honor to know and learn from.
— How has the situation with human rights in general, and women’s rights in particular, changed since the full-scale invasion?
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Council of Europe was among the first to adapt all our programs and begin providing support within our mandate. We held our first consultations with Roma CSOs to understand what the situation of Roma IDPs looked like and what problems people faced as of April 2022. After that first consultation, we informed all international partners about the needs of Roma IDP women, and they provided assistance to civil society organizations. In particular, in 2022 we provided 9 grants to organizations working with vulnerable groups.
And in 2023 we brought project activities to the level of expert and technical assistance, while also engaging in Ukraine’s recovery efforts. For example, the Council of Europe developed and approved the 2023–2026 Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction.”
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