Protecting the rights of children in the armed conflict: the tasks before the state government

The critical condition of the rights of children during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces demonstrates the urgent need for better ways of their protection. It is a State’s duty to design a set of measures aimed at effective protection of the rights of children in critical situations. The paper aims to review ongoing as well as long term tasks of the state authorities regarding the protection of children’s rights in an armed conflict. The article uses the general scientific method as well as the legal method of scientific investigation. It is based on the authors’ observations as witnesses of Russian military aggression, as well as on surveying internally displaced persons and refugees. The authors conclude that the authorities of Ukraine have to resolve a number of current and long-term tasks. The current tasks include nearest means and remedies for protection of children who became victims of the military conflict. This includes performing highly organized safe evacuation of children from the areas of military action, repatriation of children from abroad and returning internally dislocated persons to the de-occupied territory of Ukraine, repatriating deported children back to Ukraine, and administering measures to address the basic needs of children in times of war. The long-term tasks concerning the protection of rights of children include, among others, the development of a comprehensive policy for protecting the rights of children, creating a governmental body that would perform a consolidating function in relation to the protection of children’s rights, reforming the justice system in relation to children, and deinstitutionalizing the area of children’s rights