Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

Ukraine

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Ukraine
2022 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

Minimal Advancement – Efforts Made but Continued Law that Delayed Advancement

In 2022, Ukraine made minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. Despite the ongoing aggression and territorial incursions made by Russia against Ukraine, the Ukrainian government passed several pieces of legislation to address child welfare, including child labor. Ukraine established a coordination body to support the temporary domestic and international evacuation of Ukrainian children living in various government institutions in areas affected by Russia's full-scale invasion. In addition, the government shared counter-trafficking information with refugees and displaced persons at border crossings and on social media to prevent child trafficking. However, despite new initiatives to address child labor, Ukraine is assessed as having made only minimal advancement because it continued to uphold Law No. 877-V of 2007, which restricts inspectors' ability to conduct unannounced labor inspections and delays advancement to eliminate child labor. Children in Ukraine face increased social, economic, and political challenges, which can make them more vulnerable to exploitation because of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine launched on February 24, 2022. The increased vulnerability is most pronounced in the country’s Russia-occupied areas and areas of active conflict. Children in Ukraine are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in the production of pornography. Children, especially in Russia-occupied areas, also perform dangerous tasks in mining. Furthermore, Russia continues to forcibly separate Ukrainian children from their parents and, in some cases, illegally transfer them out of Ukraine to camps in Russia. It is impossible to monitor these camps or ensure that the children in them are not exploited now or in the future if they are not returned to their families in Ukraine. The government has not published labor and criminal law enforcement information regarding its efforts to address child labor. In addition, Ukrainian laws do not meet international standards for the prohibition of commercialized sexual exploitation because they do not criminalize the users of prostitution involving children.

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