No Jail For Child Saboteurs, But Parents Liable Police

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was stated by Vasyl Bohdan, Head of Ukraine's Juvenile Police, in an interview with Ukrinform.

“Children under 14 are not criminally liable. This is clearly stipulated in Article 22 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. But this does not mean their actions will be ignored or that they can do whatever they want,” Bohdan said.

He noted that for serious crimes, such as sabotage or terrorist acts, educational and corrective measures may be applied, such as placement in a special educational institution for minors.

“At the same time, parents or guardians will be held accountable for improper fulfillment of their parental duties,” he explained.

When asked how often police record such parental negligence since the full-scale invasion, Bohdan said that law enforcement regularly responds to such incidents, including those reported in social media or the press.

He admitted that in 2022 there was a temporary decline in detected cases, mostly due to the mass evacuation of families abroad and temporary occupation of territories.

He added that many incidents involving children are seasonal.

“For example, falls from windows happen more often when a child, due to lack of supervision, leans against a mosquito screen and falls out. Naturally, in winter when windows are closed, mosquito screens are not relevant, and such incidents occur less frequently. It's the same with drownings: beaches are not as relevant or attractive at minus 20 degrees as they are at plus 30 in the summer,” added the head of the juvenile police.

According to him, regardless of the circumstances, responsibility for a child's safety always lies with adults - with the parents.

“And our task is not only to respond, but also to prevent such incidents. We continue active preventive work here, explaining that even a single step toward negligence can have tragic consequences,” Bohdan emphasized.

He also reported that since the beginning of this year, police officers have already recorded 62 cases of sabotage involving children on the territory of Ukraine.

“This year, we have documented 65 criminal offenses of a sabotage nature involving 62 children aged 13 to 17. These aren't just numbers - these are tragedies that could have been avoided,” said Bohdan.

According to him, there has recently been a slight but steady decline in Russian recruitment of children.

“And this has primarily been achieved through systematic preventive measures,” the head of the juvenile police believes.

He stated that the main motivation behind such actions, based on conversations with the children involved, is financial.

“These teenagers also often have a desire to assert themselves, or a blind belief that they won't be caught. But none of them realized they could die or suffer horrific injuries. They all saw it as easy money - sometimes without even knowing they were working for the enemy,” Bohdan stressed.

He explained that geography is not a decisive factor.

“These cases occur across the entire country. Of course, in larger regions, the number of recruited children is higher - particularly in Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv regions, as well as Kyiv. But this does not mean that children in other regions face no threat or that the likelihood is lower,” the head of juvenile police emphasized.

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Bohdan pointed out that if a child realizes they are being drawn into a crime and reaches out to an adult - or together with an adult contacts the police - that is already a correct and important step, and there is no need to be afraid in that situation.

“When it comes to liability, each case is individual. It depends on many factors - the child's age, and what exactly they managed to do. If we're talking, for example, about putting up leaflets or painting graffiti, this may be classified as an administrative offense,” he said.

According to the head of the juvenile police, if a minor, even unknowingly, assists the enemy in sabotage, this already falls under the Criminal Code.

“But if the child stops, does not complete the crime, and voluntarily turns to the police, this is considered a mitigating circumstance. Law enforcement will support and assist that child, because we understand how important and difficult that step is,” Bohdan assured.

He added that it is very important for children not to be afraid to tell the truth and contact the police, even in such situations, because that is a chance to prevent a tragedy.

As Ukrinform previously reported, on May 21, Bohdan stated that Russians have been recruiting fewer Ukrainian children to commit serious crimes.

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