Ukrainian parliament's push for new Civil Code sparks criticism

The Ukrainian parliament passed on April 28 in a first reading a draft of the new Civil Code, which has drawn criticism from civil society over multiple of its provisions.

The bill was approved with 254 votes in favor, two against, and five abstaining.

The initial draft sparked backlash in late January. At the center of the debate was a proposal to lower the marriage age for girls with early pregnancies to 14. The current legal marriage age in Ukraine is 18 for both men and women.

Around 30 civil society organizations said that some provisions of the updated Civil Code "contradict European standards" and "violate Ukraine's commitments under its EU accession process."

"The provisions that prevent courts from recognizing the existence of family relations between people of the same sex are causing the greatest concern," the statement read.

The clause allowing marriage from the age of 14 was later removed. Still, the draft approved in the first reading remains controversial.

Inna Sovsun, a lawmaker from the opposotion Holos party, argued that "the spirit of the law has not changed," saying that she's planning to submit amendments prior to the final vote.

She said that Ukrainians have long moved beyond "Soviet-era" concepts of patriarchal family life, which are echoed in the proposed version of the Civil Code.

For example, under the bill, couples seeking a divorce would be required to undergo a six-month "reconciliation process." If there are children in the marriage, this process for the couple is mandatory.

"The public reaction now will be decisive," the lawmaker said.

Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, who initiated the bill, said that the bill took more than seven years to prepare, bringing together "over 300 top lawyers from across the country."

Addressing criticism, Stefanchuk said that the updated version of the Civil Code had become subject to "myths” and "misinformation."

In response to human rights groups' concerns that the bill defines marriage only as a union between a man and a woman, the speaker said that this is also reflected in Ukraine's Constitution. Neither same-sex marriages nor civil partnerships are currently recognized by Ukrainian law.

"I guarantee that the preparation process for the second reading will remain as inclusive and transparent as possible," Stefanchuk added.

read also

‘The state did not protect us’ — Deadly mass shooting reignites Ukraine’s gun control debate

Warning: The story contains graphic images. Yevheniia and her family were at home when they heard firecracker-like sounds outside their window. She initially dismissed them. But within minutes, messages in the building chat warned that a man with a gun was moving through their residential area toward a nearby store. Fifty-eight-year-old Dmytro Vasylchenkov, a Moscow native and military retiree, opened fire on pedestrians on April 18 in the Holosiiv residential district in Kyiv before taking ho

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova