NGO 'La Strada-Ukraibe' is Starting a Research on Children’s Access to Justice in Domestic Violence Cases

Within the framework of the grant issued by EU Project Pravo-Justice, implemented by Expertise France, NGO ‘La Strada-Ukraine’ is launching the project “Expanding Children’s Access to Justice in Domestic Violence Cases.”

In particular, within the framework of the project, a team of experts will:

• monitor court decisions in criminal proceedings and cases of administrative offences;
• analyse appeals to the National Hotlines, which are being supported by NGO ‘La Strada – Ukraine’;
• conduct a survey of key stakeholders – professionals who are involved in the processes of protecting children’s rights, in order to measure their awareness of the topic of protecting children’s rights; as well as identify some key problems and risks that may hinder the administration of justice in a fair and effective manner in cases of domestic violence against children;
• provide output-based recommendations to judicial and law enforcement authorities, as well as to other key stakeholders within the project on improving access to justice for children who have suffered from domestic violence.

“We are grateful to EU Project Pravo-Justice for the support and opportunity to implement this project, as respecting and protecting the rights of a child in situations of domestic violence require particular attention. This project will be a huge leap towards increasing the visibility of children in the justice system in order to effectively respond and protect the rights of every child in situations of domestic violence,” noted Maryna Lehenka, President of NGO ‘La Strada-Ukraine’.

“Since 2018, dozens of services have already been implemented within the framework of the Model Courts Initiative, aimed at improving access to justice for children as one of the most vulnerable categories. We are confident that within the framework of our cooperation with NGO ‘La Strada-Ukraine’, we will be able to develop practical recommendations for the judicial and law enforcement systems that would meet modern standards of child-oriented justice,” emphasised Svitlana Maistruk, Key Expert on Court Modernisation at EU Project Pravo-Justice”.

Background information.

NGO ‘La Strada-Ukraine” is an organisation that has been working for over 26 years to ensure gender equality, peacebuilding, prevent gender-based violence, including domestic violence, combat human trafficking, and promote children's rights.

The organisation’s key activities are focused on coordinating the operation of the two Nation-wide Hotlines:

• National Hotline for Children and Youth (provided 167,867 consultations in 2024);
• National Hotline for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking and Gender-based Discrimination (provided 44,805 consultations in 2023).

EU Project Pravo-Justice is a technical assistance project implemented by Expertise France with the financial support of the European Union.

After the victory of the Revolution of Dignity, EU Project Pravo-Justice became one of the drivers in promoting the rule of law in Ukraine, bringing the country’s legislative framework in line with European standards, developing a strategic vision of reforms, judicial reform, proper enforcement of judgments, etc.