The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Public Morals” on February 10, 2015. According to the participants of hearings, this event, despite of being stipulated by a separate clause in the Coalition Agreement of deputy factions of the Verkhovna Rada of the eighth convocation and actively supported by several NGOs and media unions, has caused some concern regarding negative influence of this document on the state of morals in the society, particularly, in connection with the prospects of liquidation of the National Expert Commission on Protection of Public Morality. “Such reaction induced the Committee to initiate committee hearings on the state monitoring over the adherence to the requirements of legislation in the sphere of protecting public morals,” stressed the speakers.
First Deputy Chairperson of the Committee Olha Chervakova in her opening speech mentioned that adoption of the Law was not aimed “at liquidating, but rather refining and arranging state control over the adherence to legislation in the sphere of public morals.” She stressed that as experts’ conclusions prove it, the National Expert Commission on Protection of Public Morality “was in fact duplicating some functions of other state bodies intended to exercise control over the adherence to legislation in the sphere of protecting public morality. Now, this duplication can be eliminated and the Commission can transfer into an NGO assigned with some functions of public control and monitoring in the field of public morals.”
First Deputy Chairperson of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Committee of Ukraine Bohdan Chervak; First Deputy Chairperson of the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council of Ukraine Olha Herasymiuk; Chairperson of the National Expert Commission on Protection of Public Morality Vasyl Kostytskyi; Archbishop of Chernihiv and Nizhyn, Secretary of the Holy Synod of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate, Chairperson of Information Department of Kyiv Patriarchate Yevstratii (Zoria); representative of Ukrainian Union Conference of the Church of Seventh-day Adventists Maksym Krupskyi; Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Rostyslav Karandieiev, President of Media Layers Association Tetiana Kotiuzhynska and others participated in the discussion of topical issues of state regulation in the sphere of public morals and further steps to be taken to secure cooperation in this sphere between the state and the public.
Discussion pertained in particular to the ways for ensuring efficient cooperation of the respective ministries and departments determined by the Law; proposals on establishing a non-state expert body in this sphere with participation of authoritative figures of the Churches, public sector and media community in order to enable prompt reaction to the processes influencing public morals, etc.