The best interests of the child: adoption under martial law

Abstract

Children are our future, the future of our people, of Ukraine. Children should be brought up in a favorable environment for their harmonious physical and moral development, in safe living and health conditions. However, during the martial law in Ukraine, the number of children who lost their parents or lost parental care or lived in institutional care facilities near places of active hostilities and were evacuated to safer regions of Ukraine and abroad is increasing. Therefore, it is the duty of the state to provide special protection and assistance to such children, including the possibility of their adoption, which, of course, must be carried out in the best interests of the child. To date, adoption is the best of all possible forms of family placement of a child, ie its adoption into the family as a daughter or son and the emergence of mutual rights and obligations under the Family Code of Ukraine. The article considers the legal regulation of adoption, describes the problems and analyzes the possibility of adopting a child, including international, in martial law. It has been established that candidates for adoption must collect a significant number of necessary documents for adoption, which in fact makes it impossible to carry out adoption under martial law. As martial law is often difficult to find or produce, it is not possible to establish the real situation of the child’s parents and relatives, the children’s service or other relevant body cannot actually verify all the circumstances of the child’s parents to determine whether the child can be adopted. find out if the child has other relatives who could take care of the child. Which, in our opinion, makes it impossible to ensure the best interests of the child – the upbringing of the child by parents, relatives or acquaintances, which would best contribute to the psycho-emotional state of the child. The article also draws rational conclusions about the impossibility of the adoption procedure during martial law in Ukraine. Emphasis is placed on the priority, unquestionable provision of the best interests of the child in adoption. Key words: adoption, best interests, rights, child, martial law, adoptive parent, adopted child.