The final steering committee gathered representatives of the Ukrainian authorities who are the Council of Europe’s main partners in the Project: Ministry of Social Policy, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, General prosecutor Office, President Commissioner of Children’s rights, Ombudsperson Office, National School of Judges and National Academy of Prosecutors, NGOs and relevant committees of the Verkhovna Rada.

Key results achieved during the project’s implementation period of April 2017-February 2018, include the following:

With regard to combating violence against women

• Practical handbook for police officers on combating violence against women and domestic violence;
• Guidance for the running of shelters for victims of violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine;
• Guidance to the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine with regard to a long-term approach to awareness-raising on violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine;
• Launch of the HELP course on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence for legal professionals.

With regard to combating violence against children:

• Feasibility assessment of piloting Barnahus model in Ukraine: preventing and protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse;
• Mapping of relevant legislative, policy and procedural framework to identify priority areas for review in the context of the National Strategy on Institutional Childcare System Reform (2017-2026);
• Launch of the HELP course on Child-Friendly Justice for legal professionals – click here to access the HELP platform;
• Mapping of key NGOs working on the rights of the child and internet safety;
• Different target groups (parliamentarians, professionals, civil society organisations, children and general public people) were reached on the European Day on Protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse through training and awareness raising campaigns – click here for more details.

The project steering committee members highlighted the importance of the work and their will to implement the recommendations. Regina Jensdottir, Head of the Children’s Rights Division, and Marta Becerra, Head of capacity building and co-operation projects Unit of the Equality Division of the Council of Europe, concluded the meeting by presenting an outline for two separate projects, “Combating violence against children in Ukraine, Phase II” and “Combating violence against women and domestic violence” to follow up and build on the progress already achieved under the next Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine (2018-2021). Feedback from the project steering committee will guide the planning and design of the next phases to further support Ukrainian authorities to strengthen their capacities to combat violence against women and children in the country.