The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a mechanism for the forced evacuation of children from active combat zones. Since children cannot take care of themselves, the refusal of parents or guardians to evacuate is not acceptable, the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories reports on Telegram.
The relevant decision was initiated and developed by the Coordination Headquarters for the mandatory evacuation of the population. The issue of protecting the lives of children and their immediate evacuation from particularly dangerous areas was taken under personal control by Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
"The basis for the mandatory evacuation is now the decision of the regional military administrations, agreed with the military command and the Coordination Headquarters for the mandatory evacuation of the population," the statement said.
Compulsory evacuation of children will be carried out under the supervision of one of the parents, a person in loco parentis, or another legal representative.
"Children in the war zone cannot take care of themselves. Therefore, adults are responsible for them. The refusal of parents or guardians to evacuate a child is not allowed because it is about their lives," the Ministry for Reintegration emphasizes.
"The decision made today should encourage parents to take a more reasonable approach to the issue of evacuating their children. If adults are not able to take care of the child's safety, the state should do it," commented Iryna Vereshchuk.
At present, only Bakhmut meets the relevant criteria for the forced evacuation of children from the combat zone.
Currently, up to 4,000 civilians, including 38 children, remain in Bakhmut, Donetsk Region.