Human rights in the military: highlights of the lecture-discussion

Legal certainty and clear ethical standards in the military should not complicate the performance of combat tasks, but rather improve the quality of management decisions, strengthen trust within teams, and enhance international support for Ukraine.

This was stated by the chairman of the UNBA Committee on labor law, member of the Center for methodological assistance and coordination of the volunteer movement of advocates for the legal protection of servicemen at the UNBA Viktoria Polishchuk during her speech at the lecture-discussion «Supporting Human Rights Education within the Armed Forces of Ukraine», organized by the Ukrainian Society at Dublin City University (Ireland) on February 11.

The event discussed the integration of human rights standards into the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, current challenges in the context of martial law, as well as international experience and practical mechanisms for implementing human rights approaches in the military environment.

In her speech, V. Polishchuk emphasized the role of the legal community in shaping the legal culture in the security and defense sector, the need for systematic legal education of military personnel, compliance with human rights standards and international humanitarian law during combat missions, and the importance of effective mechanisms for protecting the rights of military personnel, veterans, and their families.

Practical mechanisms for protecting the rights of military personnel were also presented, in particular the institution of the military ombudsman and the systematic integration of human rights into the educational programs of military institutions.