State of Observanсe and Protection of the Rights of the Child in Ukraine
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The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights STATE OF OBSERVANСE AND PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD IN UKRAINE SPECIAL REPORT OF THE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of ratification by Ukraine of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Kyiv–2010 01_Titul_14 .indd 1 21 .01 .2011 12:58:58 УДК 342.7 (477) (042.3) ББК 67.9 (4УКР) 400.7 С 76 Nina Karpachova С 76 State of Observance and Protection of the Rights of the Child in Ukraine. Special Report of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of ratification by Ukraine of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. – Kyiv, 2010. – 216 pp. ISBN 966-7855-00-7 © Nina Karpachova, 2010 ISBN 966-7855-00-7 © UNICEF, 2010 01_Titul_14 .indd 2 21 .01 .2011 12:58:58 CONTENTS Introduction ............................................ 3 І. Implementation of the International and European standards of the rights of the Child in the National Legislation of Ukraine ........ 6 ІІ. Children’s Rights Monitoring and Protection Mechanism: the Duty of the State . 16 2.1. System of government agencies for the protection of the rights of the child in Ukraine................................... 16 2.2. The Commissioner for Human Rights as a constitutional body for monitoring implementation of the rights of the child . 28 ІІІ. Protection of civil and personal rights of the child . 39 3.1. The right of the child to life................................ 39 3.2. The role of family, society and state in preventing neglect, homelessness and abuse of the child . 46 3.3. Fighting against trafficking and sexual exploitation of children........ 52 3.4. Children in conflict with the law . 59 3.5. Rights of the child to participate in public life ...................68 ІV. Economic, social and cultural rights of children . 72 4.1. Ensuring the right of the child to an adequate standard of living . 72 4.2. The right to health care...................................84 4.3. The right to education and access to cultural heritage.............. 93 4.4. Combating exploitation of child labor and protecting labor rights of minors ...................................... 106 V. State of observance of the rights of vulnerable groups of children . 113 5.1. Protection of the rights of orphans and children deprived of parental care . 113 5.2. Rights of children with special needs . 126 5.3. Protection of the rights of children of Ukrainian migrant workers . 133 5.4. Respecting the rights of refugee children and children seeking asylum . 142 Conclusions and Recommendations . 152 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child ................... 158 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict . 178 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography . 184 National program “The national action plan for implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child” for the period until 2016.... 193 Recommendations formulated by thematic Working groups of the International Conference “Dignity, Development and Dialog”, dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of the UN convention on the Rights of the Child (Geneva, October 2009) ..............205 Joint Statement of the Ombudsman of Ukraine and the Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine on the ocassion of the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Kyiv, november 2009) . 213 3 01_Titul_14 .indd 3 21 .01 .2011 12:58:58 INTRODUCTION Protection of the rights and interests of the child is one of top priority tasks of the Ukrainian State as the level of respect for children and their rights, freedoms, and human dignity is the most accurate indicator of a humane and civilized society. The international standards for the rights of the child that have developed over the course of many decades are enshrined in several fundamental inter- national documents. Back in 1924, the League of Nations drafted and adopted the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child. After the UN was formed in 1945, the international focus on the rights of the child strengthened; the international community adopted a number of documents defining the status of children under the age of 18 and the obligations of the state and society to them. The issues of protection of the rights of the child were addressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948, and the 1966 International Covenants. Article 24, Section 1 of the International Cov- enant on Civil and Political Rights stipulates the following: “Every child shall have, without any discrimination as to race, color, sex, language, religion, na- tional or social origin, property or birth, the right to such measures of protection as are required by his status as a minor, on the part of his family, society and the State.” In 1959, the UN adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child which had a major effect on the policies of governments and parliaments all over the world. On November 20, 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child rightfully considered to be the constitu- tion for children. The Convention introduced the latest universal standards for implementation of the rights of children in the world and in each country. The Convention declares the right of the child to have his/her own views and contains the provision that in all actions concerning children the best interests of the child shall be the primary consideration. The Convention has been ratified by almost every country of the world ex- cept the USA and Somalia. Ukraine was one of the first UN member states to have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child on February 27, 1991. By doing so, Ukraine acknowledged that children are an especially vulnerable 4 01_Titul_14 .indd 4 21 .01 .2011 12:58:58 group in view of their age, mental and physical development, and therefore they require special care and protection. Ukraine undertook a number of commit- ments under the Convention, particularly regarding the reform of the national legislation to bring it in line with the international standards. Ever since the institution of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights was established, the Commissioner has always paid special at- tention to children’s rights and has closely monitored their implementation and compliance. “Human rights begin with the rights of children” is the governing principle of the work of the Ukrainian Ombudsman. Every Annual Report of the Ombudsman includes the analysis of the implementation of children’s rights and freedoms. A separate chapter in the Annual Report presented by the Commissioner to the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine in June 2009 was dedicated to the protection of the rights of the child. The Special Report «State of Observance and Protection of the Rights of the Child in Ukraine» is based on the findings of a comprehensive long-term monitoring of the whole range of issues related to the implementation and protection of children’s rights and freedoms, particularly the analysis of many complaints received by the Commissioner for Human Rights, including those submitted directly by children. The Report contains the analysis of legislative implementation of the rights of the child in accordance with the international standards; implementation of the rights of the child to life and health care, adequate standard of living, education, and employment; and proposals to improve the procedures for na- tional and international adoption of Ukrainian orphans and children without parental care. The Commissioner for Human Rights believes that implementation of child- ren’s rights in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires joint efforts of the central and local government agencies and the public to raise awareness of children and adults regarding the existing mechanisms and means of protection of children’s constitutional rights and freedoms, imple- ment a single national education program for the young generation, develop and establish a recreation system for children accessible to all, provide govern- ment support to children’s organizations, introduce an effective mechanism to prevent the worst forms of child labor and counter them, and increase liability for violation of children’s rights. The well-being of children and protection of their rights and human dignity should be the main concern of the whole Ukrainian society. On February 27, 2011, Ukraine will mark the 20th anniversary of the rati- fication of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The main idea of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is that “in all actions concerning children...the best interests of the child shall be the primary consideration”. 5 01_Titul_14 .indd 5 21 .01 .2011 12:58:58 І. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN STANDARDS ... І. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN STANDARDS ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD IN THE NATIONAL LEGISLATION OF UKRAINE The 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is a cornerstone inter- national document that set the basis for international standards for protection of children’s rights. Having ratified the Convention twenty years ago, Ukraine, just as other countries, has been developing its national legislation on the protection of children’s rights to bring it in line with international documents. The inter- national standards for the protection of children’s rights have been enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine On Child Protection, the Family Code, and other laws and regulations. Their implementation is a top priority objective of the state.