On 28 May, the Council of Europe HELP course on “Deportation of Children during Armed Conflicts” was launched in Kyiv in cooperation with the National School of Judges and the High School of Advocacy.
The HELP course “Deportation of Children during the Armed Conflicts” was developed in response to the Recommendation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe N2253 (2023) which called on the Council of Europe member states to prioritise the return of children, their rehabilitation and the creation of conditions for family reunification and preservation of the identity of Ukrainian children.
Through a detailed examination of applicable international humanitarian law and international human rights law frameworks, this course provides legal professionals with advanced knowledge of the legal standards governing forced displacement in conflict zones. It equips legal professionals with knowledge and skills necessary to apply these frameworks in the prosecution and adjudication of international crimes, thereby reinforcing accountability for the perpetrators of such egregious violations, to address the complex issues of child deportation in conflict zones and to enforce international legal standards effectively.
This course is launched for 23 judges and 23 lawyers from different regions, guided by national tutors (Olha Poiedynok and Natalia Milyukhina ) who adapted the course to Ukrainian legislation, the participants are expected to complete the course by end of July 2025.
Within the launch of the course Olga Kostenko, Coordinator of the PACE Network on the Situation of Ukrainian Children presented a report on the PACE Conference “Deported Ukrainian Children: European Action” held in Helsinki on 15 May 2025. Arman Akopyan, Representative of the Ombudspersons Office presented the role and activities of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the return of deported and forcibly displaced children within Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. Kateryna Rashevska, Legal Expert at the Regional Centre for Human Rights
presented the legal classification of child deportations as an international crime and the ongoing challenges in seeking justice. Yanina Tertyshna, Head of the Department for Procedural Supervision of Pre-Trial Investigations, Prosecutor General`s Office presented the current status and challenges of criminal investigations of cases of the deportation of Ukrainian children.
The HELP course on Deportation of Children during Armed Conflicts is also available on the HELP Platform in self-learning format. With over 18821 Ukrainian legal professionals registered, Ukraine ranks second among the 46 Council of Europe member states. Currently, 39 HELP courses are available in Ukrainian, the full catalogue of HELP courses is available here.
The course was launched within the Council of Europe Project “HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine, including during wartime, Phase II”.
