Legal guarantees for ensuring and protecting the right of a child to mental health in times of war
Authors: Podzharenko K. , Svitlak I. 
Published: June 2023

The article is devoted to the study of the problems of ensuring the child's right to health, namely the right to mental health in the conditions of war. Children are one of the least protected groups of the population and the most vulnerable in times of war. Customary international humanitarian law guarantees that children affected by armed conflict are entitled to special respect and protection among the various categories of persons under special protection.

Mental health is an integral determinant of a child's overall health. The challenges to mental health and psychological well-being and development of children caused by the full-scale war have also affected the realisation of the right to health. Based on the analysis of special legal and psychological studies, the author reveals general approaches to the analysis of the essence and content of mental health as an integral part of the child's overall health. The basic scientific and theoretical concepts of using the concepts of "health", "mental health", "mental well-being" are considered. The terminology "mental health" / "psychological health", "mental well-being" / "psychological well-being" is studied and differentiated. The author argues that the use of the term "psychological health" is erroneous when interpreting the content of the concept of "health", identifying it with the related concept of "mental health". The multidisciplinary, complex nature of the phenomena under study is emphasised. The multidisciplinary, complex nature of the phenomena under study is emphasised. The author's definitions of the categories "mental health" and "child's mental health" as an object of law are proposed.

The article provides a general theoretical overview of a child's personal non-property right to health and examines the main concepts of rationality of using the concepts of "right to health" and "right to healthcare". Particular attention is paid to the study of international legal and national acts that guarantee the rights related to such intangible good as child health, including mental health. The author analyses the norms of international humanitarian law containing guarantees for the realisation of the child's right to health in time of war, according to which children in the zone of hostilities and armed conflicts, as well as those children who have suffered as a result of hostilities, should be protected.

The author comments on the normative definition of the concept of "child affected by hostilities and armed conflicts" in terms of its compliance with modern realities and formulates proposals for improving the legislation in the field of research, which will contribute to the improvement of child mental health protection and the development of the Ukrainian system of psychological assistance and psychosocial support for children. The elements of the legal mechanism for the implementation, protection and defence of the child's right to mental health should include prevention; timely identification of children in need of psychological assistance; and provision of a wide range of psychological services. Educational institutions should play a primary role in ensuring the child's right to mental health.