Legal regulation of liability for illegal deportation of children: administrative, criminal aspects, experience of Ukraine and international standards

Abstract

The article is devoted to the topical issue of criminal responsibility for illegal deportation of children. It is justified that illegal deportation of children is of particular concern, since it is practically impossible to record and establish the total number of such cases from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia. The recognition of such illegal actions in the criminal legislation and other legislation of Ukraine is also problematic. Attention is focused on the definition of the “child” legal category in the regulatory and legal acts of foreign countries, as well as in international acts. It has been proven that international standards and legal acts have clear mechanisms for protection of children's rights against illigal displacement and deportation. They also indicate that Ukrainian legislation has serious problems in regulating the use of such terms as “deportation”, “forced migration” and “illigal displacement”, as well as in defining the criteria for distinguishing between them. It has been concluded that the illegal displacement of children poses a threat to the national security of Ukraine, and the issue of deportation of children requires further development.