Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted draft law on punishment for war crimes against children as a basis, - Vice Speaker Olena Kondratiuk
29 April 2025, 18:50
The Verkhovna Rada supported, in the first reading, draft law №12170, which aims to amend the Criminal Code with provisions related to war crimes against children.
This was reported by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Olena Kondratiuk. The draft law was supported by 279 members of Parliament.
«This is a very important draft law for me. As well as it is for parents, relatives and guardians of the Ukrainian children abducted by russia,» emphasized Olena Kondratiuk.
According to the document, the Criminal Code is supplemented with clearly defined manifestations of war crimes against children, such as:
- deportation, illegal displacement;
- unjustified delay of children's repatriation;
- recruitment and use of children for military purposes.
«Each of these actions violates the Geneva Conventions and additional protocols. For them, responsibility will be provided for sentences ranging from 8 to 12 years in prison. Until now, the Criminal Code did not contain specific provisions on this topic. Only Article 438 mentioned 'other violations of the laws and customs of war,'» explained Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk, who is a co-author of the bill.
She also added that it was developed within the framework of the parliamentary track #BringKidsBackUa – the presidential initiative for the return of children. Officially, there are 19.5 thousand such children.
«Our ultimate goal is to bring to justice all those involved in war crimes against Ukrainian children. Sanctions lists of other countries can also help with this. But first, we, as a state, must compile such sanctions lists ourselves with a clear breakdown of these crimes and their perpetrators. For this, specific provisions in the Criminal Code are also needed. This will greatly facilitate work on the international stage,» noted Olena Kondratiuk.
The Deputy Speaker expressed sincere gratitude to the co-authors of the draft law: Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, First Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Korniyenko, and Member of Parliament Halyna Mykhailiuk. Olena Kondratiuk also thanked the Committee on Law Enforcement and everyone who voted to adopt the draft law as a basis for their support and constructive approach.