The trainings were held via Zoom and lasted four hours each (from 10:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.). They were aimed at enhancing legal awareness and strengthening the practical capacity of professionals working in the field of child rights protection.
The total number of participants reached 150 persons, including:
• social workers and specialists of social service centers (approximately 65%);
• social pedagogues, teachers, and deputy principals of educational institutions;
• representatives of child protection services, education departments, and local self-government bodies;
• psychologists, lawyers, and representatives of civil society organizations (including Caritas Odesa UGCC, “100 Percent Life,” “Posmishka UA,” “Unity and Strength,” etc.).
The training programme included:
• a theoretical analysis of the concept of recruitment and its forms (with a focus on martial law conditions);
• an overview of national legislation (the Constitution of Ukraine, the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the Law “On Child Protection,” etc.) and international standards (the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and norms of international humanitarian law);
• action algorithms for identifying risks and ensuring interagency cooperation;
• practical case studies, role-playing exercises, and the development of preventive strategies.
Participants actively registered for the events, completed detailed questionnaires with specific questions (including response algorithms, online risk indicators, prevention strategies for children and parents, and criminal liability issues), and engaged in group discussions and practical exercises.
The atmosphere of the trainings was professional, supportive, and constructive. Participants from different regions openly shared their experiences, demonstrated strong interest in the topic, and expressed a clear need for practical tools to protect children in wartime conditions.
These trainings became an important contribution to strengthening the child protection system, enhancing the institutional capacity of social services and educators, and ensuring the practical implementation of the rule of law and international standards in the field of child protection.
The Department of Administrative, Commercial Law and Financial and Economic Security of the Educational and Research Institute of Law of Sumy State University is proud of the active civic and educational engagement of its academic staff and continues to work towards strengthening legal education and the protection of vulnerable groups.
