On November 20, the University hosted the International Scientific Conference “Children’s Rights in the Socio-Legal Dimension – To the 100th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child” on the Zoom platform. The first conference took place in 2018 as part of the cooperation between Drohobych University and Witelon Collegium in Legnica (then Witelon Higher State School in Legnica). Gradually, the geography of the event expanded, as more Polish and Ukrainian partners were added to the conference organizers: Warsaw (2020); Rivne (2021); Koszalin (2022); Legnica (2023).
This year, the seventh conference was back at Drohobych University and was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the rights of the child. The circle of organizers traditionally included Polish partners: Witelon Collegium in Legnica, the University of Economics and Humanities in Warsaw, the Janusz Korczak Institute for the Rights of the Child, and Rivne State Humanitarian University. The conference was organized by the Department of Philosophy, Sociology and Political Science named after Professor Valeriy Skotnyi, and the conference manager and organizer was Associate Professor Oksana Zelena.
Being a highly relevant topic for modern Ukrainian wartime reality, it allowed representatives of social organizations and local authorities to be involved in the discussion as well.
The conference participants were welcomed by the Vice-Rector for Scientific Work, Professor Mykola Pantyuk (Drohobych University), Dean of the Faculty of History, Pedagogy and Psychology, Associate Professor Orest Huk (Drohobych University), Vice-Rector for Innovation and International Cooperation, Professor Oksana Petrenko (Rivne State Humanitarian University), Professor Nataliya Pobirchenko (Witelon Collegium in Legnica). On behalf of Drohobych District Military Administration, the head of the patronage service of the military administration, Yevhen Shylnyk, gave a welcoming speech.
The conference continued in the format of a plenary session moderated by Professor Nadiya Skotna and four thematic panels. The plenary session presented the following reports: “Historical (civilizational) laws as determinants of children’s rights and children’s policy” – Doctor of Education, Professor Stanisław Leszek Stadnichenko (University of Economics and Humanities in Warsaw) and “Inclusion in educational institutions: achievements and challenges” – Head of the Department of Pedagogy and Methodology of Primary Education, Professor Iryna Sadova.
The first thematic panel “Children’s Rights in the European Union and the World” was chaired by Professor Stanisław Leszek Stadnichenko (University of Economics and Humanities in Warsaw) and Associate Professor Ihor Zubrytskyi (Drohobych University); the second thematic panel “Pedagogy of Law, Ethics, Morality and Education” was moderated by Associate Professor Olena Kravchenko-Dzondza (Drohobych University); Professor Hryhoriy Pustovit (Rivne State Humanitarian University) organized the work of the third section “Children and Adolescents in the Space of Social Life”, and the student thematic panel session entitled “Students on Children’s Rights, Peace and Democracy” was conducted by Associate Professor Oksana Zelena (Drohobych University).
We thank our Polish colleagues and partners for the interesting scientific discussion, long-term cooperation and long-term support of Ukraine. We would like to thank our colleagues from Rivne for their numerous attendance and fruitful work within the conference.
Traditionally, a collective monograph is planned to be published based on the conference materials.
