24 November 2010, 09:57
Representatives of the Ministries and Departments, international and non-governmental organizations, other public unions, leading experts and scientists attended the meeting.
Viktor Shemchuk, Chairman of the Sub-committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement, declared, "The Committee monitors the state policy on the counteraction to trafficking in children, child prostitution and pornography. The recommendations were drafted and partially implemented by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ministries and Departments, public organizations."
Viktor Shemchuk emphasised that legislative support only is insufficient for the real improvement of the situation in this sphere. " The specialized ministries and departments should implement the legal norms," the People´s Deputy emphasised.
UNICEF Representative Yukie Mokuo reported on the achievements of Ukraine in the implementation of the national legislation under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. She singled out the drawbacks in the Ukrainian legislation: the lack of norms on criminal responsibility for the compulsion of a child to prostitution and involvement of a child in pornography. Yu. Mokuo also focused on the insufficient legal protection of Ukrainian children who suffered from these crimes. She deems necessary to change the situation, adopting the corresponding legislative acts.
Kateryna Levchenko, President of the International Women's Rights Centre "La Strada-Ukraine", informed the participants of the meeting that the Ukrainian legislation met the principles of the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. However, the legislative gaps impede active counteraction to these realities. She mentioned the lack of definitions of the terms ‘trafficking in children´, ‘children prostitution´, etc.
The participants of the round table discussion listened to the report of the Ministry on Internal Affairs, and the Ministry on Family Matters, Youth and Sports on the implementation of the legislation on counteraction to trafficking in children, child prostitution and pornography. They discussed essential legislative initiatives in this sphere: the bills on amendments and supplements to the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Proceedings of Ukraine (on interrogation of minor victims and witnesses), and on amendments to legislative acts of Ukraine in connection with the of the Convention on Council of Europe on protection of children from the sexual exploitation and corruption.
In the result of the discussion, several recommendations to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the specialized Ministers were adopted.