Key points:
- In Kryvyi Rih, a 14-year-old boy was placed in a childcare institution after his father was mobilised.
- The man had effectively been raising his son alone since 2022 but had not legally formalised his status as a single father.
- In 2023, the child protection service had recommended that he submit the relevant documents.
- The lack of proper legal documentation became the basis for the boy’s temporary placement in the institution.
- The Ombudsman stresses the importance of timely legal recognition of single-parent status to safeguard children’s rights.
In Kryvyi Rih, a 14-year-old boy was temporarily placed in a Centre for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation for Children after his father was mobilised. Information about the case spread on social media and sparked public discussion about a child’s right to family upbringing. This was reported by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.
According to the Ombudsman, his representative in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Oleksii Urlatkin, sent enquiries to the child protection service of the Kryvyi Rih City Council’s executive committee and to the Central City District Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support in Kryvyi Rih to clarify the circumstances.
The review found that the father, who had effectively been raising his son alone since 2022, was mobilised after visiting the recruitment centre.
The child’s mother is abroad. However, the father had not legally formalised his status as the sole caregiver.
The child protection service stated that as early as 2023 the man had been advised to submit documents to obtain single-father status, but he did not do so. The lack of proper legal documentation became the basis for the boy’s temporary placement in the institution.
Similar cases have been recorded in other regions. Due to improperly оформлені documents concerning guardianship or place of residence, children may remain without adequate legal protection during the mobilisation of a parent or guardian.
The situation has shown a simple but very important point: if a child is in fact being raised by one parent, this must be formalised legally. Otherwise, the state does not see the real picture and cannot fully protect either the child or the adult. In wartime, this can have serious consequences.
– Dmytro Lubinets.
The Ombudsman stressed the need for timely legal recognition of single-parent status, as well as the settlement of issues related to maintenance payments and parental rights, so that state authorities can act in the best interests of the child.
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