Deportation of Children: Criminal Liability Introduced in Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted a law that introduces amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The amendments relate to establishing responsibility for illegal transfer, deportation, unjustified detention of a child's repatriation, recruitment and use of a child for military purposes by foreign states.

This was reported by the press service of the Verkhovna Rada.

The authors of the bill claim that its adoption is necessary to ensure criminal liability for illegal transfer, deportation, unjustified detention of a child's repatriation, as well as the use of a child for military purposes by representatives of foreign states.

The actions of the foreign agents mentioned have been proposed to be classified as war crimes.

'Adoption of this bill will prevent legal and actual impunity for committing the stated crimes against Ukrainian children who are under the protection of international humanitarian law,' the Verkhovna Rada stated.

This issue is especially important in the context of the international armed conflict with the Russian Federation and requires immediate resolution.

'The report of the International Independent Commission of the UN investigating the situation in Ukraine contains a conclusion from experts that 'in the majority of situations involving the transfer of children reviewed by the Commission, Russian authorities did not attempt to facilitate family reunification [...]. The Commission found that in these situations, Russian authorities violated their commitment under international humanitarian law to do everything possible to facilitate the reunification of families separated as a result of armed conflict, which can be classified as a war crime in the form of unjustified detention of civilians,' the Verkhovna Rada clarified.

The scale and systematic nature of the illegal actions towards Ukrainian children point to a significant number of individuals involved in these acts.

According to the 'Children of War' platform, 19,546 Ukrainian children have been identified as deported or forcibly taken away by Russian agents. According to 'Bring Kids Back UA', 1,293 children who were deported, forcibly displaced, or were in temporarily occupied territories have already been returned.

Analysis:

The adoption of this law is justified in order to prevent impunity for illegal actions towards Ukrainian children who are under the protection of international humanitarian law. The mentioned bill has been prompted by the need for immediate resolution of an extremely important issue in the context of the international armed conflict with the Russian Federation. According to sources, the number of Ukrainian children who have become victims of illegal transfer, deportation, and military recruitment by foreign agents is significant. The continuation of this work involves practical steps aimed at returning and protecting children who have become victims of these illegal actions.