Alarming rise in child pornography cases in Ukraine – reports
Source: Opendatabot
Every second case of pornography investigated in Ukraine this year involves children, according to a report from Opentabot. The data, covering the first seven months of 2024, reveals over 2,300 criminal cases related to pornographic content, with child pornography cases outnumbering those related to adult content for the third consecutive year.
The grim statistics show 1,145 cases under Article 301 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which deals with the import, production, sale, and distribution of pornographic materials. An even more concerning 1,198 cases have been filed under Article 301-1, specifically targeting child pornography. This marks a 27% increase in cases related to adult content compared to the entire previous year.
For the first time in three years, the number of cases concerning adult and child pornography has reached a similar level. However, the situation is far from balanced. While 68% of cases involving adult content have reached the courts, only 57% of child pornography cases have made it that far—down from 69% last year.
Adding to the complexity, 21 cases involving adult pornography and 25 involving child pornography were closed earlier this year. The ongoing legal challenges highlight the state’s struggle to define what constitutes “distribution” of pornography, with the law failing to differentiate between a private nude photo sent to a partner and commercially distributed sexual content.
Last year, lawmakers introduced bill No. 9623 to partially decriminalize adult pornography, aiming to free up law enforcement resources and reduce corruption within the system. Yet, the bill has seen little progress, largely due to resistance from the Parliamentary Committee on Law Enforcement.
Igor Samokhodskyi, head of the ICT sector at the BRDO Office for Effective Regulation, said that decriminalizing voluntary adult pornography could save state funds, generate additional tax revenue, and allow law enforcement to focus on real crimes—particularly the distribution of child pornography.
A kamikaze drone flies directly toward an armored personnel carrier. But instead of penetrating the hull, it explodes on a steel screen. The crew survives. This is the new reality for Ukrainian forces, who have received enhanced protection thanks to the Metinvest project within “Steel Front of Rinat Akhmetov”.
To commemorate the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, “Bukvy” has compiled data on the largest donors supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Among them there are charitable foundations and businesses. The list includes, in particular, foundations that provide assistance exclusively from their own resources, without fundraising (such as SCM by Rinat Akhmetov, Epicenter, etc.).
In just 1.5 months, Ukrainian specialists have created an innovative protective shell for the control modules of anti-aircraft missile systems (AMS) Patriot and Iris-T SLM. This development was another step in strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities, aimed at protecting key elements of the air defense system from debris damage.
Military serviceman of the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine with the call sign “Paradox” is the crew commander of the American M113 armored personnel carrier. He is a master at using it and is constantly improving, because the legionnaire’s skills are tested every day in battle. You have to drive to the front lines, often under artillery fire and drone attacks.
Notorious supporter of the concept “in order for a cow to eat less and give more milk, it needs to be fed less and milked more” “Servant of the People” Danylo Hetmantsev, under the guise of “business requirements”, registered a draft law on the collection of VAT on all foreign purchases, regardless of their value. In other words, every Ukrainian, buying goods of any value and purpose abroad, when sending them to Ukraine, will have to pay an additional fifth part, or 20% of the cost of the goods.