What is the project?

The project aims to support Ukraine’s justice reform process in response to the specific challenges brought by the military aggression of the Russian Federation, with a view to protecting children from violence in all its forms and ensuring child-friendly justice processes.

The project focuses on the protection and promotion of children’s rights, particularly in light of the 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 seeks to enhance the effectiveness of frameworks that ensure child-friendly settings and procedures for investigation while also improving capacities of various 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), “Combating violence against children in Ukraine, Phase III” (2022), and “Protecting  the rights of Ukrainian children during and in post-war context” (2023-2025).

The project is implemented by the Council of Europe Children's Rights Division, in close co-operation with the Council of Europe Office in Kyiv during 2025-2026, as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026).

For more details about the project, please consult the project webpage.