On June 1, at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, 3 resolutions developed at the initiative of the Ministry of Social Policy were adopted.
The adopted acts are aimed at creating additional social protection for children affected by the war, as well as at preventing the violation of the rights of children who are temporarily displaced (evacuees), and significantly strengthening control over the actions of all parties involved in the evacuation.
- For the sake of the safety of Ukrainian children, the Government by its resolution recommended the military administrations to evacuate children who live in institutions on a 24-hour basis, at least 100 km from the temporarily occupied territory and the combat zone, 50 km from the border with the russian federation and the Republic of Belarus, and also at least 2 km from critical infrastructure facilities.
This act also defines the decision-making mechanisms for the return to Ukraine of temporarily displaced (evacuated) children from institutions abroad - to ensure that children return to the regions where they lived only when it is truly safe. The act also introduced a mechanism for the return of entire groups and individual children evacuated abroad.
This act will improve the registration in the Unified data bank of orphans and children deprived of parental care and the families of potential adopters, guardians, custodians, adoptive parents, foster parents of all children who are evacuated from institutions, or any changes regarding accompanying persons, places of stay of such children, organizations that provide care for them, etc.
In general, this act is aimed at preventing the violation of the rights of Ukrainian children and persons who are temporarily displaced (evacuees), as well as at significantly strengthening control over the actions of all parties involved both in the evacuation of children and in the care and protection of these children.
- Taking into account the importance of raising children in a family environment and the increase in the number of orphans during the war, the Government normalized the possibility of adoption by Ukrainians of those children who were evacuated abroad.
To date, no mechanism has been provided for Ukrainian citizens to adopt Ukrainian children evacuated outside the country. The resolution regulates the procedure for adoption and placement of orphans and children deprived of parental care who are abroad, specifically in Ukrainian families and family-type orphanages, during martial law. And also - transfer of such children to care, care of candidates for adoptive parents. Thanks to the adopted changes, Ukrainian citizens who are candidates for adoption will be able to meet children online.
In addition, the issue of the adoption into one family of brothers and sisters who were separated during evacuation outside Ukraine was resolved. And during the martial law, foreigners who are married to citizens of Ukraine are granted the right to adopt their spouse's child (up to that time, the adoption of a child by foreigners was prohibited, and the mechanism for adopting Ukrainian children by spouses (a foreigner and a citizen of Ukraine) does not exist at all).
- Since the legislation of Ukraine provides for additional social protection and a number of benefits for children who suffered from war, the status of "child who suffered as a result of military operations and armed conflicts" will be available to all children who, as a result of military operations, received injuries, contusions, mutilations, have experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence.
