Ukrainian Parliament proposes new Criminal Code article for war crimes against children
War crimes against children should be investigated under a special article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
This proposal was announced by Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Olena Kondratiuk, who oversees the parliamentary track of the presidential initiative "Bring Kids Back UA" aimed at returning illegally taken Ukrainian children home.
Ukrinform reports this citing the Verkhovna Rada press service.
"A draft law, No. 12170, has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada, which proposes to amend the Criminal Code of Ukraine with a separate article that would classify as war crimes the illegal transfer and unjustified delay in the repatriation of Ukrainian children," Kondratiuk stated.
The Deputy Speaker emphasized that this proposal targets the crimes of illegal transfer and unjustified delay in repatriating abducted, displaced, or deported Ukrainian children. The draft law seeks to establish a new, dedicated Article 448 in the Criminal Code to address these crimes.
"We are specifically designating war crimes against children under a separate article. The crimes of deportation, forced transfer, and unjustified delay in repatriation of children during war are some of the most egregious acts that constitute genocide. This has been highlighted by many countries that are part of the international coalition focused on the return of these children. This is about protecting our future," Kondratiuk said.
She reminded that under Article 49 of the Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians during war, deportation and forced transfer of civilians are serious violations of international humanitarian law and qualify as war crimes. Additionally, under the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions and the assessment of the Independent International Commission of the UN investigating violations in Ukraine, an unjustified delay in repatriation is classified as a war crime.
According to official data, nearly 20,000 children have been deported or illegally taken from Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, with their return progressing very slowly.
Kondratiuk stressed that, based on investigations conducted by human rights organizations, Russian citizens involved in the adoption of deported or abducted Ukrainian children are attempting to erase the national identity of these young Ukrainians.
"Such crimes must be punished. Holding perpetrators accountable is one of the most effective measures available to Ukraine to prevent the recurrence of such atrocities," she emphasized. Kondratiuk called on everyone involved in investigating crimes against children to support these amendments to the Criminal Code and to facilitate the swift adoption of this law by the Verkhovna Rada.
Olena Kondratiuk co-authored this draft law together with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, First Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Korniyenko, and the President’s Representative in Parliament, Halyna Mykhailiuk.
As previously reported, a collaborator involved in the deportation of children from Luhansk region to Russia was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison.