In the framework of permanent cooperation with United Nations’ structures, our Association sent a submission this year for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report on the rights of the child and violations of the human rights of children in armed conflicts, to be presented at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in October 2025.
ARC’s submission, published at UN official web-sources this August, reminded on the participation of the Crimean organized criminal groups in sexual exploitation of youth, with additional challenges to the identification of victims as there are no effective remedies in the occupied peninsula as a “grey zone”.
ARC’s proposals to the High Commissioner’s next thematic report included aspects of the nature of violations, adequacy of current protections and remedies, barriers to effective protection, and recommendations for strengthened protection and accountability.
ARC’s submission stressed that the main challenge for access to remedies for Ukrainian children who are still under Russian control in Russia and at Russia-occupied territories, that legal steps in such issues de-facto block negotiations, as Russia uses those children as hostages.
ARC’s submission added that the big challenge is in forms of recognition of certain Ukrainian children as victims in criminal proceedings, connected with such common crimes, as Russian propagandists’ and officials’ calls to genocide against Ukrainian youth, propaganda of racial discrimination of such youth in general, or hate speech against them.
ARC’s submission also pointed out that the real challenges are in the absence of officially approved methodics of calculation of such moral damage, in the level of legal arguments in some cases, and in the nonparticipation of some official bodies in those cases as third parties.
