Ukraine to mandate evacuation of children from active confict zones
The Ukrainian government approved the forced evacuation of children from active combat zones.
Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories reported on Telegram that this decision was initiated and developed by the Coordination Headquarters for the mandatory evacuation of the population. Protecting children's lives and immediate evacuation from dangerous territories were taken under personal control by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, Iryna Vereshchuk.
From now on, the basis for mandatory evacuation is the decision of the regional military administrations, agreed with the army command bodies and the Coordination Headquarters on the mandatory evacuation of the population.
Compulsory evacuation of children will be carried out accompanied by one of the parents, a person who replaces them, or another legal representative.
Children in a war zone cannot take care of themselves. Therefore, all responsibility for them lies with adults. Refusal of parents or guardians to evacuate the child is not allowed. After all, it is about the child's life.
"The state must protect the life and health of the children. Today's decision should encourage parents to take a more serious approach to the issue of evacuating their children. If adults cannot take care of the child's safety, then the state should do it," Vereshchuk commented on the decision.
Only the eastern city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, where the fiercest battles occur for seven months, falls under the relevant criteria for applying the forced evacuation of children from war zones.
