The Project aims to strengthen Ukraine’s response to violence against children, including child sexual exploitation and abuse, in the context of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.

The Project will focus on protection and promotion of children’s rights, in view of the particular risks generated by the conflict for displaced children, children without parental care, unaccompanied children, child victims or witnesses of violence in line with Council of Europe standards. It will focus on enhancing the effectiveness of frameworks aimed at child friendly settings and procedures for investigation, as well as improving capacities of multiple professional target groups working with children.

The project is a direct follow-up of the previous Council of Europe projects "Combating violence against women and children" (2017-2018), "Combating violence against children in Ukraine, Phase II" (2020-2021), and “Combating violence against children in Ukraine, Phase III” (2022).

The project will be implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026) by the Council of Europe Children's Rights Division and in close cooperation with the Council of Europe Office in Kyiv during 2023-2024.

Since 2012 Ukraine has been a party to the Council of Europe Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention), which is the most ambitious and comprehensive international legal instrument aimed at preventing violence and protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual violence, as well as bringing perpetrators to justice and promoting international cooperation in these areas.

The project activities are based on Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027) “Children’s Rights in Action: from continuous implementation to joint innovation”, adopted by the Committee of Ministers in February 2022. Among the six strategic priorities, actions are foreseen towards protection and upholding Children’s rights in crisis and emergency situations, such as the one faced by Ukrainian children currently.

Based on the achievements of previous projects, the activities of the Project will promote and be further guided by recommendations and guidelines of the Council of Europe on

• Integrated National Strategies for the Protection of Children from Violence (CM/Rec (2009)),
• Child-friendly justice (CM/Rec (2010)), Guidelines to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environment (CM/Rec(2018)),
• Effective guardianship for unaccompanied and separated children in the context of migration (CM/Rec(2019)11),
• Checklist and Handbook for Parties of Lanzarote Committee: Protection of children affected by the refugee crisis from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse,
• Guidance Note on addressing the risks of trafficking in human beings related to the war in Ukraine and the ensuing humanitarian crisis.

The project itself promotes the implementation of these international standards and builds on the progress and work already carried out at national level. The objectives and goals of the project shall be in line with the following legal acts:

• National Strategy for Reforming the System of Justice for Children by 2023, approved by the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on December 18, 2018 №1027-r.;
• State Social Program "National Action Plan for the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child" for the period up to 2021, approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on May 30, 2018 № 453;
• Law of Ukraine “On Childhood Protection” of 26.04.2001;
• Law of Ukraine No. 3055 "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Regarding the Implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (The Lanzarote Convention)" of 18.02.2021;
• National Strategy for Reforming the Institutional Care and Upbringing of Children for 2017 – 2026;
• Decree of the President of Ukraine №398 / 2020 "On urgent measures to prevent and combat domestic violence, gender-based violence, protection of the rights of victims of such violence";

State Social Program for Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence until 2025, approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of February 24, 2021 № 145.

The main partners and stakeholders of the project are the Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Police, General Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Social Policy, Ministry of Justice, Probation Service, Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on Children’s Rights, Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, relevant committees of Verkhovna Rada.

Civil society will also be engaged from the first phase of the project, in order to ensure their involvement and expertise. From the experience of previous actions in the country, through support to the work of civil society organisations, maximum impact and dissemination of the project’s results can be achieved.

Children in Ukraine will benefit from more effective child-friendly procedures and mechanisms of involving child victims in the criminal justice processes. At the same time, proper mechanisms for coordinating different civil society and state initiatives will be developed in the field of identifying, documenting and supporting displaced children and children left without parental care. Children and parents in Ukraine will benefit from an improved psycho-social support system, with a broad network of social workers and child psychologists who can offer support, even remotely.

The target groups of the project include professionals working in the child-care system, judiciary and law enforcement agencies in Ukraine; public officials; civil society organisations and citizens; public authorities (public administration, legislative and executive branches).