In fall of 2024 our Association informed the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children Dr. Mama Fatima Singhateh, for her upcoming report to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2025 pursuant to Council’s Resolution 52/26, for making suggestions and recommendations on the prevention and elimination of all forms of sale and sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
In ARC’s submission, prepared by Dr. Borys Babin and Julia Sidorenko and published on UN official sources on January 2025, we reminded UN Special Rapporteur that groups, involved in the child sexual abuse and child trafficking in the Crimea, have features of ethnic-grounded criminal entities that operate in Yalta, Alushta and other places, and they have close connection with “Crimean republican authorities”. Such “Crimean authorities”, including the highest “judges” are totally corrupted and connected to the organized criminal groups involved in the child sexual abuse and child trafficking in the Crimea that allows them to enjoy impunity.
We reminded to UN Special Rapporteur that such ethnic criminal group from Yalta is connected with child trafficking and child pornography, including Internet and other digital forms, as well as with forced labour in building sector, and in the same time this group is the key sponsor of so-called “Friends of Crimea” project, coordinated by the Russian government and special services, with participation of extremists and marginal politicians from Austria , Italy, Germany, France etc.
ARC stressed again in the submission that some thousand persons were kidnapped by Russian militaries and punitive structures in occupied part of Kherson Region only during last three years. A lot of persons were kidnapped by Russian invaders in the “checkpoints” between the Crimea and Ukraine’s mainland, and in the Russia-occupied Crimea a lot of children, transferred illegally from Ukraine’s mainland, disappeared
ARC’s submission added that the main challenge for access to justice and remedies of violation Ukrainian children’s rights, for children, that are still under the Russian control in Russia and at Russia-occupied territories, is in common contradiction of any practical negotiation efforts to free children from Russian control, and in potential start of any national or international proceedings against Russian officials and other Russia-controlled persons who kidnapped and deported those children: any legal steps in such area de-facto block negotiations as Russia uses those children as hostages.
So regarding conditions on hostilities, interstate conflicts, aggressions, foreign occupation, the demands of Rome Statute, Geneva Convention and Additional Protocols to them in issues of on children’s rights to access to justice and effective remedies must be taken in account, regarding war crimes and crimes against humanity, including sexual crimes, committed against children, ARC’s submission stated.
Also the children’s rights to access to justice and effective remedies must be researched by UN Rapporteur in context of execution the decision of international courts and of foreign national courts, connected with interstate conflicts, foreign effective control and international crimes, including duty to counteract sexual crimes against children, our submission stressed. Our Association’s cooperation with UN bodies and officials on those issues will be continued.
