Protection of the Rights of a Child in the Conditions of War
Abstract
Absract. This article explores the intricacies of protecting children’s rights in times of war. It acknowledges that wars, conflicts, and military actions have a profound and exacerbating impact on the lives and well-being of children, subjecting them to complex situations that pose significant challenges to their physical, psychological, and social development. The article’s objective is a comprehensive and thorough analysis of the protection of children’s rights in wartime conditions. The following research methods were employed in its composition: literature review with an analysis of the gathered material, induction and deduction, causal relationships exploration, systematization, abstraction, and specification, as well as the examination of documentation and findings from researchers on the issue under investigation. The article meticulously examines the relevance of international legal norms and standards, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, concerning the protection of children in times of war. It provides an in-depth analysis of the consequences of armed conflicts on the physical and mental health of children, educational opportunities, and access to medical services, identifying the primary threats and challenges that young citizens face. Furthermore, the article highlights key legislative changes in Ukraine in the wake of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation on February 24, 2022. The scientific novelty lies in the exploration of innovative aspects of safeguarding children’s rights in wartime, including considerations of emerging threats, the utilization of modern technologies for data collection, and the development of new strategies. It underscores that ensuring fair protection of children’s rights in times of war is essential for creating a future in which children can flourish and realize their potential. The responsibility of the international community and national governments in guaranteeing this protection necessitates scientifically grounded approaches, effective programs, and action plans. Only through collaborative efforts and the implementation of international norms and standards can we ensure a future where the rights of every child, regardless of their place of birth or status, are respected and safeguarded, thereby promoting peace, stability, and development worldwide.
Keywords: children’s rights; war; international treaties; armed conflicts.
Downloads
References
Humanitarian situation (2022). Report No. 24. Analytical report Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/media/29831/file/Ukraine-Humanitarian-SitRepDecember–2022+.pdf.
Russia's war against Ukraine: the situation of Ukrainian children. European Parliament. Retrieved from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/729332/EPRS_ATA(2022)7293_XL.pdf.
Bida, О.А., Blaha, А.B., & Таrabanova, S.V. (2016). Childhood under the crosshairs: children's rights in the conditions of armed conflict in the east of Ukraine. А.P. Bushchenko (Eds.). Kyiv: KYT.
Children of War (February 24, 2022-August 31, 2023). Retrieved from https://childrenofwar.gov.ua/.
Children of war. The right to life and identity. (2023). National Institute of Strategic Studies. Retrieved from https://niss.gov.ua/news/statti/dity-viyny-pravo-na-zhyttya-ta-identychnist.
Drobiazko, K. (2022). How to protect the rights of the child in the conditions of martial law. Legal Newspapera. Retrieved from https://yur-gazeta.com/dumka-eksperta/yak-zahistiti-prava-ditini-v-umovah-voennogo-stanu.html.
Drok, І.S. (2022). Peculiarities of UNICEF activities in the conditions of martial law in Ukraine. In Materials of All-Ukrainian science and practice seminar "Protection of the rights and interests of children and women under martial law" (pp. 25-27). Dnipro: Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs.
Crimes against children (2023). Official website of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. URL: https://www.gp.gov.ua/.
Kоstyshyn, Е.І., & Shevtsiv, Yu.О. (2023). Institutional and legal mechanism for the protection of children in Ukraine under martial law. Public administration and social work, 1, 29-36.
Lehka, О.V. (2022). International legal regulation of the protection of children’s rights under martial law. Legal position, 2(35), 41-45.
Маtvieieva, L.H. (2020). International and European standards for the protection of the rights of vulnerable population groups. Bulletin of the Penitentiary Association of Ukraine, 3(13), 48-59.
Nikolaichuk, S. (2022). Protection of children’s rights under martial law: problems of theory and practice, Scientific Bulletin of the Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs, 4, 94-105.
Ukraine and the UN signed a preventive plan for the protection of childrenєs rights in the conditions of armed aggression by the Russian Federation (2023). Bykvy. Retrieved from https://bukvy.org/ukrayina-ta-oon-pidpysaly-preventyvnyj-plan-shhodo-zahystu-prav-ditej-v-umovah-zbrojnoyi-agresiyi-rf /.
Cherneha, K.І. (2010). Protection of children during armed conflicts. Odesa: Phoenix.
Chernenko, А.А. (2017). Regarding the protection of children’s rights during armed conflicts. In Materials of the participants of the scientific and educational round table "Ukraine of the Future" (pp. 144-145). Sumy.
Annual report on the state of observance and protection of human and citizen rights and freedoms in Ukraine in 2022. Retrieved from https://ombudsman.gov.ua/report–2022/.
UNICEF: warring parties around the world grossly violate children's rights (2021). UN News. Retrieved from https://news.un.org.
Abstract views: 136 PDF Downloads: 112
Copyright (c) 2024 Philosophical and Methodological Problems of Law
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
- Authors reserve the right to authorship of their own work and transfer to the magazine the right of the first publication of this work under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows other persons to freely distribute published work with mandatory reference to authors of the original work and the first publication of an article in this magazine.
- Authors have the right to enter into separate additional agreements on non-exclusive dissemination of the work in the form in which it was published in the journal (for example, to post an article in the institution's repository or to publish as part of a monograph), provided that the link to the first publication of the work in this journal is maintained.
- The journal's policy allows and encourages the posting of articles by authors on the Internet (for example, in electronic storehouses of institutions or on personal websites), both before the submission of this manuscript to the editorial office and during its editorial processing, as this contributes to the creation of a productive scientific discussion and positively affects the efficiency and dynamics of citing the published work.