Equal conscription rules: Ukrainians propose drafting women without children

Another petitions propose changes to mobilization law that would allow mobilizing women without children and would equalize the duties of men and women. The authors are convinced that able-bodied women could serve the Fatherland just as well.

New petitions propose to equalize the duties of men and women.

On the Cabinet of Ministers website, almost simultaneously petitions appeared that women could be mobilized as men if they have no children. Thus, the authors believe it would be appropriate to extend and establish the same basic rules of mobilization, military registration, and training for service. This is stated on the portal where Ukrainians can propose changes to laws.

To make the mobilization law equal for everyone is proposed in order to evenly distribute the burden, in line with the Constitution's principles of equal rights of citizens. The authors propose mobilizing women without children. Another petition was created for mandatory military registration of women.

In the first case the author notes that every citizen must defend the state, its sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Yet the burden of service is currently placed on men. Therefore, in the authors' view, it would be appropriate to involve women in this matter as well. Meanwhile, Ukrainian women who raise children could be exempt from mobilization.

Supposedly, women who do not raise children do not fulfill duties for which the state could provide guarantees. In the view of the initiator, mobilizing women would allow increasing the mobilization resource and adhering to the Constitution's principles.

The same principles for fulfilling military duty by citizens of male and female gender are proposed in another petition. Such changes could allegedly remove different approaches to military duty for men and women. But a "maximally fair and equal distribution of duties to defend Ukraine among citizens regardless of gender," in the author's view, could be a more lawful option. At the same time, mobilization conditions should be absolutely equal.

It is proposed to consider age, health status, military occupational specialty, needs of the Armed Forces, etc. Grounds for deferral should not be gendered.

The third petition proposes mandatory military registration of women and the possibility of conscription of women during mobilization. That is, the author wants women not to join service voluntarily, but to register, as men do. Registering all women for military service would be the first step toward equal civic duty.

Such appeals to the Cabinet of Ministers were filed so that lawmakers could study the issue and initiate the necessary legislative changes.

Mobilization of women in Ukraine: are such changes possible?

Such initiatives, of course, provoke public discussion and various hasty conclusions. However, petitions often do not lead to law changes, especially if the government understands that they cannot be fulfilled. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, stated that proposals for mobilizing women will not receive Cabinet approval.

No women's mobilization is planned, nor are any changes to triple-child parents planned. Stop spreading nonsense,

— wrote Kovalenko.

As a reminder, earlier the Cabinet site registered a petition proposing to cancel the deferral from mobilization for men who maintain three or more children up to 18 years. The author considers such a rule unfair to fathers of one or two children.

Lawyer Oleh Panychak, in an interview with 24 TV, said he does not consider it discrimination. Equality before the law does not mean absolutely identical treatment of people with different family circumstances. A father with many children has more dependents, greater obligations, and potential consequences for the family in case of mobilization.