Criminologist and gender expert with over 15 years’ experience advising the United Nations, governments, and international organisations on gender, women’s rights, civilian protection, reintegration, and policing and security institutions in conflict and post-conflict settings.
Specialist in gender-based violence and victim-centred approaches in policing and justice contexts, with a focus on how social norms and institutional responses shape risks and access to protection. The expert has direct experience working with police, ministries, and humanitarian actors in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, and comparable political and institutional environments. Fluent in Arabic and Ukrainian.
Syria: Led research and capacity building, authored reports; supported Hala Systems and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) on gender analysis, safeguarding, conflict sensitivity, and the role of gender in the justice and accountability mechanisms; civilian protection in NW Syria.
Jordan and Lebanon: Direct fieldwork with women in the police and security agencies in Jordan, capacity building programmes for the government of Jordan on cross-border crime and gender. Research on enforced disappearances and LGBTQ+, social protection and gender in Lebanon, education reforms in collaboration with UN agencies (International Organisation for Migration and United Nations Development Programme) and local ministries.
Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria: Conducted research on gender and honour-related violence in North Africa, including analysis submitted to UN treaty bodies (CMW and CEDAW), with a focus on social norms, family dynamics, and women’s rights.
Iraq: Conducted research on gendered vulnerabilities, human rights risks, and patterns of exploitation and abuse in the Iraqi context, particularly in relation to women and children affected by conflict and association with armed groups. This includes work on reintegration frameworks for individuals repatriated from Iraq across multiple jurisdictions, in collaboration with UN Women, IOM, and UNODC, with a focus on gender-sensitive indicators. Also contributed to research on missing persons and accountability processes in Iraq through collaboration with organisations operating in-country, including the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).
Ukraine: Gender sensitivity programming and social protection of abducted children; supported Hala Systems and Save Ukraine with reviewing safeguarding policy and gender analysis with a focus on families, reintegration and child protection.
Indonesia: Government advisory roles on reintegration and rehabilitation of Indonesian nationals associated with extremist groups. Conducted policy analysis and capacity building on reintegration of former extremist offenders and social protection, with a gender and vulnerability lens, working in collaboration with the government of Indonesia and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan: Government advisory roles on gender mainstreaming in the security sector; worked closely with ministries and the police on curriculum development and institutional change in partnership with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Organisation for Security and Cooperation of Europe (OSCE).
My expertise focuses on gendered vulnerabilities, social protection, and the functioning of policing and justice systems in conflict and post-conflict contexts.
The expert has authored a wide range of analytical and expert reports for governments, UN agencies, and law firms, including in the context of legal proceedings and policy development, addressing:
- gender-based violence
- honour-based crimes
- forced marriages
- civilian protection
- human trafficking and smuggling
- law enforcement and security services
- mental health and sociopsychological reintegration
- reintegration of ex-offenders
- prisons and rehabilitation
- child abuse and safeguarding
- the rights of vulnerable and marginalised groups - including women, children, and LGBTQ+ persons and minorities - within complex humanitarian and transitional justice contexts
Rushchenko, J. (2025). Redefining Masculinities: Navigating Pushback to Gender Mainstreaming in the MENA region. Journal of International and Prospective Studies. Vol. 1, No. 1, June.
Rushchenko, J. (2024). Gender and Civilian Protection: Incorporating a Gender Perspective into Product Design and Tech Solutions. Literature Review. Hala Systems, Lisbon.
Rushchenko, J. (2023). Integrating a Gender Lens into the Monitoring and Evaluation of Rehabilitation Programmes for Violent Extremists. Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre, United Arab Emirates (in Arabic).
Rushchenko, J. (2023). Women, Peace and Security and Border Management: The Role of Gender in Human Trafficking, Counter Terrorism, and other Cross-Border Crimes. IOM. Jordan (training manual, unpublished).
Rushchenko, J. (2022). NATO and the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda. NATO Defense College. Ed. by Thierry Tardy. Rome, Italy.
Rushchenko, J. (2020). Exit from Extremist Groups and Reintegration: Bringing Evidence into Policy. In: The New Syria? Critical Perspectives on the De-radicalisation and Reintegration of Islamist offenders, Ed. by Emma Webb, Civitas.
Rushchenko, J. (2019). Terrorist Recruitment and the Crime-Terror Nexus in Prisons: The UK Experiment of Separation Centres. European Journal of Criminology. Special Issue on the Crime-Terror Nexus.
Rushchenko, J. (2018). Prison Management of Terrorism-Related Offenders: Is Separation Effective? The Henry Jackson Society, Centre for the Response to Terrorism and Radicalisation. London.
Rushchenko, J. (2017). Converts to Islam and Homegrown Jihadism. The Henry Jackson Society, Centre for the Response to Terrorism and Radicalisation. London.
Rushchenko, J. (2017). Counter Terrorism, Foreign Fighters and Criminal Justice Responses in Europe. New Vistas. Ed. by Joelle Fanghanel. Vol. 3, Issue 1, pp. 24-27.
Rushchenko, J. (2017). Docile Housewives or Empowered Entrepreneurs? Gender, Fraud and Victimisation in the Context of Transnational Marriages in Germany. Universität Hamburg.
Rushchenko, J. (2016). Solidarity Marriage for Undocumented Migrants in Germany: Between Kindness and Crime? In Spatial Justice and Diaspora, ed. by Pachett E. and Keenan, S. Counterpress.