The project of special judges in juvenile cases is expanding: new regions and the appellate court will join
As reported by the "Judicial and Legal Newspaper", Ukraine is testing the specialization of judges in juvenile cases: 11 courts have joined the pilot.
The Supreme Court announced that within the framework of the pilot project to introduce the specialization of judges in family and juvenile cases, 12 regions have already been covered, where judges, child services, and psychologists have undergone appropriate training. Courtrooms friendly to children have also been equipped.
Currently, the Supreme Court plans to expand the initiative: soon, four more regions – Sumy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia – will join the project. The Appellate Court of the Odessa region will also participate. The involvement of the appellate court in the Supreme Court was called a serious level and a significant step for the development of the specialization of judges and the entire child-friendly justice system.
The experience of Ukrainian pilot projects was based on international practice, particularly the Icelandic "Barnahus" model, which once became the foundation for many countries and now for Ukraine. The Supreme Court emphasized that studying foreign experience regarding the system of specialized courts or individual judges, as well as analysis and training of relevant specialists, is extremely promising for Ukraine. Moreover, this is a step towards joining the European Union, part of the Roadmap requirements on the rule of law and the National Strategy for the Protection of Children's Rights in the field of justice until 2028, and the approval of the operational plan for its implementation in 2025–2028 (Cabinet of Ministers Order dated July 14, 2025, No. 708-r).
At the same time, the Supreme Court mentioned the problem of enforcing court decisions related to child upbringing, as there are serious gaps in this area, and there are also decisions of the European Court of Human Rights against Ukraine, so there is an urgent need for research, legislative improvement, and training of enforcers involving various entities.
Additionally, the Supreme Court points out the need to adapt judicial practice to wartime conditions. The Court explained that a large number of family disputes today are related precisely to the war and families leaving Ukraine. This causes conflicts with different legislation, raises issues regarding international child abduction, the application of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, and requires unification of practices.
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