Table 1 provides key indicators on children’s work and education in Ukraine.

Source for primary completion rate: Data from 2014, published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2023. (1)
Source for all other data: International Labor Organization’s analysis of statistics from National Child Labour Survey (NCLS), 2015. (2)

Based on a review of available information, Table 2 provides an overview of children’s work by sector and activity.

† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.

Commercial sexual exploitation remained a serious problem in Ukraine, and a significant amount of online child pornography continued to originate in the country. (17) Prior to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, children from Ukraine were trafficked both internationally and domestically for commercial sexual exploitation and forced begging. (9,11,13,16) Some state-run orphanages have also used children for illegal labor in business, seasonal agricultural work, construction, and sexual exploitation. (3,8,11) There was limited information about the types of work that children performed and the sectors in which they worked in Russia-occupied territory in the Donbas region and Russia-occupied Crimea; however, available data suggested that some children in these areas, in particular boys between the ages of 11 and 16, engaged in illegal coal mining in the Donbas region. (3,9) Russian occupying authorities and proxy groups backed by Russia continued to recruit children, train them in weapons use, and organize them into reserve militia battalions at militant-run camps and at school programs located in territory occupied or controlled by Russia. (3,9,10,18,19) In addition, Russian armed forces used 90 Ukrainian children as human shields in active conflict in Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhya regions. (20,21) Reports indicate that, in some cases, parents were coerced into giving consent for their children to attend so-called "summer camps" in Russia or Russia-occupied Crimea, in which the children were forcibly engaged in systematic ideological re-education and military training, and in some cases not permitted to return to their homes. (17,19,22)

Since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine, out of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children, 4.8 million have been forced to flee, with 2 million having fled abroad and 2.8 million displaced internally. (23) Refugee and internally displaced children (particularly those who are unaccompanied) are especially vulnerable to exploitation in the worst forms of child labor. (24,25) In particular, children with disabilities, stateless children, children from Roma or other minority groups, children forcibly transferred to Russia, and homeless, orphaned, and poor children, especially those living in state-run institutions, run a bigger risk of falling victim to human trafficking and sexual and labor exploitation. (19,26,27) Education was disrupted for more than 5.7 million Ukrainian children as schools shut down as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (19,20,23,27) National online education platforms were available to school-age children; however, access to these services was a challenge due to the lack of electricity and Internet as a result of Russia's deliberate targeting of civilian energy, electricity, and telecommunications infrastructure. (19,27,28) In addition, children had limited access to schooling due to security issues, non-functioning of in-person schooling, and damage to school infrastructure due to Russia's attacks on civilian infrastructure. (19,20,28,29) In Russia-occupied Crimea, education standards introduced by the Russian Federation have limited the rights of ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars to receive education in their native language. (17,19,30)

Birth registration of children born in Russia-occupied areas remains difficult, which can prevent them from receiving Ukrainian identity documents. (17,19,31,32) This, in turn, puts them at risk of statelessness. (31) Undocumented children, including those born since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine and who have not received their birth certificates, are especially vulnerable to being forcefully transferred to Russia and given Russian citizenship, and Russia's occupying authorities have forced Ukrainians in occupied territories to obtain Russian passports. (19,20) A law adopted in 2018 provides for any civil registry office to issue a Ukrainian birth registration on the basis of a birth certificate issued in Donetsk and Luhansk; however, fewer than half of the children born in these areas are estimated to have obtained a birth certificate issued by the Government of Ukraine. (32) Additionally, up to a third of children from some Roma communities also lack birth registration, impeding their access to education. (17,24)

Ukraine has ratified all key international conventions concerning child labor (Table 3).

The government has established laws and regulations related to child labor (Table 4). However, gaps exist in Ukraine's legal framework to adequately protect children from the worst forms of child labor, including a failure to prohibit the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

‡ Age calculated based on available information (42)

Because the minimum age for work is lower than the compulsory education age, children may be encouraged to leave school before the completion of compulsory education. (33,35,42) Furthermore, the Ministry of Health Order No. 46 does not prohibit children between the ages of 14 and 16 from engaging in hazardous work as part of a vocational training program, which is not in compliance with international standards. Although the law specifies that children in these training programs may be onsite for no more than 4 hours and must remain in strict compliance with applicable safety norms and rules and regulations on labor protection, this is not in compliance with international standards. (36,43) Ukraine does not sufficiently prohibit the commercial sexual exploitation of children because no law criminalizes the users (clients) of prostitution involving children. (33)

The government has established institutional mechanisms for the enforcement of laws and regulations on child labor (Table 5). However, the absence of unannounced inspections conducted at the national level in Ukraine may impede the enforcement of child labor laws.

Labor Law Enforcement

Research did not find information on whether labor law enforcement agencies in Ukraine took actions to address child labor.

Government Order No. 303 (On the termination of measures of state supervision (control) under martial law) prohibited all labor inspections, and Law No. 2136-IX (On organization of labor relations under martial law) only allowed limited unannounced labor inspections on three specific grounds: (1) observance of wartime labor regulations, (2) informal employment, and (3) legality of employment contracts termination. (51,52) Moreover, the limited unannounced inspections are regulated by Law No. 877 of 2007 (Fundamental Principles of State Supervision and Monitoring of Economic Activity), which continues to restrict inspectors' ability to undertake inspections without giving employers prior notice, in addition to effectively limiting the frequency of allowed inspections. (48,53)

Although local inspectors are certified by the State Labor Service (SLS), their training may be inadequate and inconsistent with the training given to inspectors employed directly by the SLS. (13,54) In addition, the SLS is not authorized to compel payment of delinquent fines without a court proceeding, which can delay the collection of penalties. (3,10) Russia-occupied areas, including Crimea and parts of Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, and Mykolayiv oblasts, are not under the control of Ukrainian authorities, who are prevented from carrying out inspections and law enforcement in these territories. (19,45)

Criminal Law Enforcement

Research did not find information on whether criminal law enforcement agencies in Ukraine took actions to address child labor.

† Data are from January 2022 to November 2022.

During the reporting period, research did not find updates on the criminal cases against 73 children for participation in Russia-led military formations in the so-called "Donetsk People’s Republic" and "Luhansk People’s Republic," as well as against 1 child in the Russia-led forces in Crimea. In 2021, the National Police transferred 47 of these cases to courts for prosecution. (3,9,55) The National Police acknowledged instances of involvement of minors in illegal amber or coal extraction in Ukraine, but they provided no information on efforts taken to address this issue. (9)

In 2022, law enforcement authorities opened criminal proceedings on the involvement of 53 children in military activities. The status of these cases is unknown. (45) The Office of the Prosecutor General reported that from January to November 2022, there were: 53 violations of Article 149 of the Criminal Code (Trafficking in persons/children), out of which 32 cases were sent to court; 2 violations of Article 150 (exploitation of children) and 3 crimes under Article 150-1 (engaging minors in begging), which resulted in 3 cases sent to court; 79 crimes for violation of Article 304 (engaging minors in criminal activity) which resulted in 69 cases sent to court; and 1,120 crimes for violation of Article 301-1 of the Criminal Code (Importing, producing, sale, or distribution of child pornography), with 937 cases sent to court. (19) In addition, the Migration Police Department (MIPOL) identified one boy and two girls as victims of child trafficking, and one boy and one girl as victims of forced labor, while the Ministry of Social Policy (MSP) identified two boys as victims of forced labor. (45) During the reporting period, Ukrainian authorities were engaged to bring back children who were unlawfully transferred or deported to Russia by Russia’s forces. As of late December 2022, 125 children had been returned. (56,57) In addition, National Police investigators worked with authorities in Latvia and Lithuania in separate cases of child trafficking related to children from evacuated Ukrainian orphanages. (47)

In 2022, the government increased its human trafficking prevention efforts at national and local levels, to include sharing child counter-trafficking information at the border crossing points. The Ministry of Justice's local centers for secondary legal aid provided a legal education event on "Protection of Child Victims of Sexual Exploitation." (45) In addition, the ministry published 50 educational media articles on the prevention of human trafficking, including "On the Safety of Women and Girls Abroad." The government continued to operate a hotline and a website for potential victims of human trafficking, and during the reporting period has added a new number to accommodate calls from abroad. (45) The MSP, with a local NGO partner, developed an anti-trafficking awareness-raising campaign aimed at girls and young women, including girls between the ages of 12 and 18. In May 2022, government representatives participated in an OSCE roundtable entitled, "Strengthening Protection of Children from Violence, including Child Trafficking, during the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine." (45)

The government has established a key mechanism to coordinate its efforts to address child labor (Table 8). However, gaps exist that hinder the effective coordination of efforts to address child labor, including efforts to address all forms of child labor.

In January 2022, the Government of Ukraine established the State Service of Ukraine for Children’s Affairs to form and implement state policy for the adoption and protection of children’s rights. (19,58) In August 2022, the government adopted and sent for the President’s approval a draft law to amend Ukrainian legislation at both the state and local levels, to improve the regulation of the activities of the State Service of Ukraine for Children’s Affairs, to strengthen the role of the local executive committees in the field of protection of children’s rights, and to strengthen the participation of the prosecutor's office in ensuring the rights and interests of the child. (19,59)

In March 2022, the government established the Coordination Headquarters for the Protection of the Rights of the Child in Conditions of Martial Law to coordinate the temporary domestic and international evacuation of Ukrainian children living in various government institutions in areas affected by Russia's war on Ukraine. (17,60,61) This body, together with the MSP, issued recommendations to foreign host countries on the protection of unaccompanied Ukrainian refugee children's rights and interests while abroad. (45) In addition, the Ministry of Reintegration of Occupied Territories created an information portal called “Children of War,” through which Ukrainian citizens can report forced transfer of a child from Ukraine, forced change of citizenship, and other crimes committed against children by Russia’s army, including forced labor. (19,62) In 2022, the Office of the Ombudsman for Human Rights established a procedure for obtaining the status of human trafficking victims for Ukrainians, including children, who reside in the temporarily occupied territories and who were subjected to forced labor or forced to participate in military activities by Russia’s proxies or Russia’s forces. (63) Despite these efforts and although Ukraine has established the Inter-Ministerial Counter-Trafficking Coordination Council to coordinate efforts to address child trafficking, it does not have coordinating mechanisms to address other forms of child labor, including in mining and agriculture.

The government has established policies related to child labor (Table 9). However, policy gaps exist that hinder efforts to address child labor, including coverage of all worst forms of child labor.

During the reported period, numerous oblast- and community-level programs included measures to address human trafficking, including in Chernihiv, Ternopil, Odesa, and Vinnytsya oblasts. (45) In addition, the government and the ILO, through the Decent Work Country Program in Ukraine (2020–2024), carried out humanitarian aid and job preservation activities. (66,67) However, although the Government of Ukraine has adopted the Resolution on the Social Protection of Children, research found no evidence of a policy on other worst forms of child labor, including hazardous child labor in mining. (3,9,10)

In 2022, the government funded and participated in programs that may contribute to eliminating or preventing child labor (Table 10). However, gaps exist in these social programs, including the inadequacy of programs to address the full scope of the problem.

For information about USDOL’s projects to address child labor around the world, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/ilab-project-page-search
† Program is funded by the Government of Ukraine.

In 2022, many social service providers shifted efforts from direct victim assistance to IDP, to include human trafficking prevention efforts. During the reporting period, the government also increased the one-time payment to human trafficking survivors from 200 USD (7,443 UAH) to 218 USD (8,052 UAH). (45) However, although the Government of Ukraine has implemented programs to assist child survivors of human trafficking, research found no evidence that it has carried out programs specifically designed to assist children in other forms of child labor, including hazardous work in mining.

Based on the reporting above, suggested actions are identified that would advance the elimination of child labor in Ukraine (Table 11).

References on file.