No additional documentary confirmation to get the status of a Child Affected by Military Actions and Armed Conflicts, – the experts from “Restoring Donbas”

13:55 / 20 Apr. 2017 / 1018

On 20 April 2017, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine hosted a discussion on the amendments to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On Approving the Procedure for Granting the Status of a Child Affected by Military Actions and Armed Conflicts”, in which experts on the children’s rights of Public initiative “Restoring Donbas” took active part.

Andrei Reva, the Minister of Social Policy and Yuriy Pavlenko, MP, presented various conceptual approaches to determining the categories of children who are entitled to receive the status of a Child Affected by Military Actions and Armed Conflicts and the procedures for providing it. Svetlana Klochko, the children’s rights expert from the public initiative “Restoring Donbas” insisted that the trauma of the child by war does not require proof and additional documentary confirmation. This point of view was supported by other experts attended the meeting.

The discussion based on the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilians, and № 39 Article of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the legislative base of Ukraine in determining other categories of victims (children of the war, children affected by the Chernobyl disaster). The attendees concluded that every child being in the zone of armed conflict or taken out of its territory and received the status of an internally displaced person considered to be affected by psychological violence. This conclusion is confirmed by the statistics of UNICEF indicating that about 580 thousand children require psychological help.

Minister Andrei Reva, proposed to create a working group, which would include civil servants, parliamentarians, representatives of public and charitable organizations and to present amendments to the adopted Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers till 20 May 2017.

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