OSUIA discussed the protection of children's rights in conditions of military aggression

On June 27, Odesa State University of Internal Affairs hosted an international scientific and practical conference entitled “Protecting Children's Rights in Conditions of Military Aggression.” The event was held in accordance with the Plan of Scientific Activities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine for 2025 and brought together about 150 participants – representatives of all higher education institutions under the Ministry's jurisdiction, as well as representatives of law enforcement agencies, public associations, the legal community, the prosecutor's office, courts, and the scientific community.

The event was opened by the rector of the university, Candidate of Legal Sciences, Associate Professor, Police Colonel Viacheslav Davydenko, who noted that children are the most vulnerable category of the population, but at the same time, children are the future of Ukraine. The rector expressed his sincere gratitude to all those who are defending our country today, the State Emergency Service, the National Police, and everyone who is helping in the joint struggle against the enemy. He noted: "Today, Ukraine is facing not only outright terror against the civilian population, but also deliberate genocide against Ukrainian children. Thousands of children have been forced to leave their homes due to hostilities, and millions have fled abroad. Particularly cynical is the fact that Ukrainian children are being forcibly taken to temporarily occupied territories and to the Russian Federation. 

Our common task is not only to return every child home, but also to provide them with a decent life, protection of their rights, access to education, medical and psychological assistance, and a safe environment for development. We must create all the conditions for every child to return home, so that children affected by the war are provided with comprehensive assistance and support." 

The head of the Department of Education, Science, and Sports of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, candidate of legal sciences, associate professor, police captain Oleksandr Tarasenko addressed the participants with a welcoming speech: “The enemy is not only committing war crimes, but also carrying out a real genocide. Today, due to the actions of the occupiers, Ukrainian children are in constant danger.” Oleksandr Tarasenko cited official statistics: "The Register of Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances contains data on more than 2,500 Ukrainian children. As a result of military actions, more than 630 children have been killed, more than 1,970 have been wounded, and more than 30,000 have been forcibly deported to the Russian Federation. Undoubtedly, the scale of the occupiers' war crimes may be much greater, because, unfortunately, we do not yet have information about what is happening in the temporarily occupied territories. In terms of regional affiliation, the largest number of affected children are undoubtedly from the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Sumy regions. Analyzing these figures, everyone understands that this is an extremely great tragedy for our country. After all, these are our young people, our future. The department is concerned with providing children with adequate learning conditions." He emphasized that children affected by the war, children whose parents have been killed, wounded, or are missing, and, in general, children of defenders of our state are being educated directly in the Lyceums of Security and National-Patriotic Education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And everyone should know about the functioning of such lyceums. Oleksandr Tarasenko referred to the information posted on the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, where there is an official tab about these lyceums (https://mvs.gov. ua/news/liceyi-bezpekovogo-spriamuvannia-ta-nacionalno-patrioticnogo-vixovannia-mvs), as this is an extremely important project not only for the Ministry but also for the entire country. Training professional, patriotic young people is important for building our future. 

The speaker added that: “The figures quoted do not take into account the sad number of children who have been left without parents who were defending our country. This figure is extremely high, so it is the duty of each of us to spread the word about the functioning of these lyceums.” In conclusion, he emphasized the importance of ensuring the observance and protection of children's rights in conditions of military aggression and invited the participants of the event to engage in constructive dialogue and fruitful cooperation.

The event also featured welcoming speeches by: Deputy Head of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, Police Colonel Artem Shevchyshen; Head of the Juvenile Prevention Department, Police Colonel Vasyl Bohdan; Deputy Head of the Department for Citizenship, Clemency, and State Awards – Head of the Clemency Unit of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor Dmytro Zhuravlov, Head of the Educational Security Service Department of the National Police of Ukraine, Police Major Nadiіa Sytnуk, Head of the Department for De-occupied and Adjacent Territories of the European Union Advisory Mission Jean-Marc Krebs. 

The conference focused on the following areas: protection of children's rights: international and national dimensions; legal means of protecting children's rights and freedoms in Ukraine; child safety: legal, organizational, psychological, educational, and informational dimensions; protection of children in armed conflict: international law and national legislation. 

During the event, presentations were made by representatives of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine, various departments of the Main Departments of the National Police in the regions, the Children's Services Department of the Odesa City Council, the regional coordinator for the protection of children's rights of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the Odesa region, public organizations, the bar association, and the academic community.

Following the scientific and practical conference, a resolution was drafted, which will be sent to the relevant state authorities.