Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise hosted an interagency scientific and practical seminar “Peculiarities of Children’s Rights Protection in Psychological Examination” dedicated to the International Children’s Day.
The meeting brought together representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, KFI, and the City Center for Children and the National Academy of Internal Affairs for joint work.
The participants discussed the problematic aspects of children’s rights protection during forensic psychological examinations and their further practical application.
Oleksandr Ruvin, Director of KFI and Viktoriia Eidemillier, Director of the City Child Center conducted presentations of the activities of departments and identified possible joint areas of work.
According to Yurii Irkhin, the Head of the department of psychological research, one of the most important is the forensic psychological examination in cases to determine the place of residence of the child.
Because of the complexity and individuality of each individual family system, the relationships in it, it is extremely difficult for the court to make an objective conclusion about which parent will have a better, safer and more comfortable life for the child.
In such circumstances it is psychological examination that is necessary to justify the best interests of the child and the way to establish favorable psychological conditions for child’s dwelling with one of the parents.
The qualifications of professional psychologists who do not have the certification of forensic experts often does not allow them to make a conclusion in accordance with the current requirements established by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, which, in turn, significantly reduces the weight of these findings in court. As the Head of the Department of Legal Psychology of the National Academy of Internal Affairs, Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor Olena Kudermina, there are certain institutions whose conclusions have evidentiary value, it is necessary to differentiate the concepts of forensic psychological and psychological examination.
Within the framework of conducting forensic psychological examinations, specialists of KFI solve the following issues:
- How does the family situation, the individual psychological characteristics of parents (indicate, if necessary, one or both of them), the peculiarities of their educational behavior affect the emotional state, mental development and sense of well-being of the child?
- How can the conditions of the education of each parent influence the psychological state and development of the child?
- Does the child’s family situation have an impact on the influence of parents and other adults?
Conducting forensic psychological examination in cases involving controversial issues of upbringing and determining the place of residence of the child is one of the leading areas of work of expert psychologists. The priorities of the experts are the interests of the child, which are established through a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the psychological conditions of life.
Interesting and informative was the report of Oleksandr Khymenko, the Deputy Head of the Registry of Regulatory Legal Acts, Legal Work, Legal Education of the Main Territorial Department of Justice in Kyiv, on the nationwide law and probation project of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine “I Have a Right”.
One of the key elements of the project is the program “There are no other people’s children”. It is aimed at protecting the rights of women, single parents and children through the adoption of the Law on Strengthening Liability for the strict non-payment of alimony. Citizens have the opportunity to get clear and understandable advice on how to act when their rights are violated.
In general, the meeting was held in an atmosphere of friendship and became very fruitful. “The theory without practice is dead, practice without theory is blind”, – said Olena Kudermina, the Head of the Department of Legal Psychology of the National Academy of Internal Affairs, Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor. Therefore, the joint work of practitioners and theoreticians is a necessary condition for success.
Human rights begin with the rights of the child. The protection of the rights of the child is one of the most important in Ukraine, as the attitude towards children, the level of their safety and security in the state, the state of their comprehensive development is one of the indicators of civilization and humanity of society.
