The Council of Europe project Combating violence against children in Ukraine peer-reviewed the draft Law of Ukraine "On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine concerning the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention)" (finalized) (registration no. 3055 of 11.02.2020, as amended on 20.02.2020). The analysis was performed in order to determine the compliance of the new draft law with the provisions of the Lanzarote Convention and opinions of the Lanzarote Committee. It was carried out by a Council of Europe international expert Naomi Trewinnard and later on presented at the round table Criminal protection of children from sexual exploitation and prevention of re-victimisation of children during criminal proceedings. The round table was held within the framework of the Council of Europe project Combating violence against children in Ukraine together with the Verkhovna Rada Committee on law enforcement and PO Ukrainian Institute for the Future on 22 September 2020.
It is worth noting that the changes proposed by the draft law indicate significant progress towards strengthening the child protection framework in Ukraine. Notably, the amendments introduce a number of key offenses relating to corporate criminal liability, grooming, possession of child sexual abuse materials, live performances by children, including in the digital environment. The amendments also guarantee a number of fundamental safeguards linked to statute of limitation definitions of child sexual abuse materials, corruption and solicitation of children. The draft law clearly lays down legislative foundations for prohibiting persons on the register of sex offenders from exercising certain professions, and emphasises the importance of coordination and cooperation among relevant authorities.
The Analysis of the provisions of the Draft Law of Ukraine “On Amending some Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning the Implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention)” (registration no. 3055) is available at: https://rm.coe.int/analysis-of-the-provisions-of-the-draft-law-of-ukraine/16809fab6e
