On 3 December, Ruby Mae Axelson, Lead of Gender & Child Justice at Global Rights Compliance (GRC), joined members of the Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) for the Thematic Expert Exchange to discuss accountability for crimes committed against children during Russia’s war of aggression, with particular focus on child-friendly justice and access to remedies.
Ruby spoke about the importance of ensuring that a child’s best interests are assessed and treated as a primary consideration throughout investigations and prosecutions. She presented GRC’s Best Interests Assessment (BIA) Procedure, developed in partnership with the Office of the Prosecutor General’s Juvenile Justice Department (JJD) as part of GRC’s EU-funded Mobile Child Justice Team.
She explained that this work began in 2023, after GRC’s needs assessment on the investigation and prosecution of crimes against and affecting children revealed the urgent need for standardised child-sensitive procedures. Since then, GRC has collaborated with Ukrainian prosecutors, psychologists, civil society organisations, and international experts to design a practical methodology that translates child-rights standards into everyday work for investigators and prosecutors.
The BIA Procedure guides justice actors in understanding each child’s unique situation, needs, and vulnerabilities. It includes establishing a multidisciplinary team, conducting a child-friendly interview that allows children to safely express their views, and producing a reasoned, documented decision that balances those views with the child’s protection and developmental needs. The Procedure is to be completed before any investigative action involving a child and continually updated as new information emerges.
Ruby highlighted that the BIA is not a formality but a tool that helps protect children’s rights while strengthening the quality of investigations. By ensuring that decisions are well-considered and clearly justified, the Procedure reduces the risk of retraumatisation and enables justice actors to make informed choices about next steps in a case.
“Children are experts in their own lives, and their meaningful and safe participation is essential to achieving justice,” Ruby said.
GRC remains committed to supporting Ukrainian justice actors in embedding child-friendly and trauma-informed approaches, ensuring that every child involved in the justice system is treated with dignity, sensitivity, and care.
GRC is part of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine (ACA). The ACA is a multilateral initiative established by the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States to support and assist Ukrainian law enforcement and prosecutors in investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed during a full-scale war.