Will Ukrainian women be obliged to register for military service: new legislative initiatives
6 December 2024 12:47
The Government of Ukraine continues to improve legislation related to the performance of military duty. on December 3, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis the draft law No. 12076, which regulates the procedure for registering citizens for military service and medical examinations. One of the key innovations of the document is the norms concerning women. The details were analyzed by
Among a number of changes, the draft law contains 3 provisions relating to women.
In particular, according to the draft law, women who are fit for health and age may voluntarily register as conscripts if they wish to do basic military service. After completing it, they will automatically be registered as liable for military service.
However, lawyers have already had comments on such innovations. Anna Daniel, a lawyer, PhD in Law and managing director of Anna Daniel Law Firm, in an exclusive commentary
“The first proposal raises questions, given that the purpose of military registration of conscripts is to determine the available human resources, the degree of their fitness for military service and to collect other data about the conscript. The collection of such data is carried out to determine the possibility of further referral of a person to basic military service or other use of him/her in military service. If a woman has already voluntarily applied and been sent to serve, this step becomes unnecessary,” says Anna Daniel.
The lawyer also draws attention to inconsistencies in the text of the draft law. In particular, it is unclear whether medical examination for women is mandatory or voluntary. At the same time, the legislator has already enshrined the voluntary nature of basic military training for women, which, according to Danielle, creates a certain legal conflict.
Ukraine and international experience
Anna Daniel recalls the experience of Israel, where women make up more than 40% of recruits and 25% of officers. Although Ukraine is not Israel, we have many motivated women who want to defend the country. That’s why the lawyer emphasizes the need for a reasoned approach to legislative changes.
“The draft law is aimed at the voluntary involvement of women, which is important for the country in times of war. However, its current version contains many shortcomings that need to be corrected before the final version is adopted,” Danielle summarized.
The draft law has already aroused public interest and comments from the Main Scientific and Expert Department. It is expected that the second version of the document will be amended to take into account all the comments.
