Protecting a child's rights after the death of a parent abroad

The grandmother of a minor girl who had been left without parental care following the death of her parents sought legal assistance from a lawyer at the Caritas Kharkiv Charitable Organization.

The girl's father had died abroad, but it had not been possible to register his death in Ukraine. The absence of a Ukrainian death certificate created difficulties with establishing guardianship over the child, accessing social support and resolving inheritance matters.

As the grandmother did not have the legal authority to represent the child's interests in court, the lawyer collected the necessary evidence, prepared an application to establish the fact of death and represented the girl's interests during the court proceedings.

The lawyer was able to demonstrate before the court that there was no other way to register the father's death in Ukraine. The court granted the application, and following the positive decision, the family was able to obtain a death certificate.

Obtaining the document removed the obstacles to establishing guardianship over the girl, accessing social support for the family and resolving inheritance matters, thereby ensuring the protection of the child's rights and interests.

Free legal assistance in Kharkiv Oblast was made possible through the partnership between the Caritas Kharkiv Charitable Organization and the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), with funding from the European Union.