Last year, due to the implementation of the initiative #No child left behind, spousal support arrears were paid off to 555,000 children. This was announced by Minister of Justice Pavlo Petrenko.

"More than half a million young Ukrainians were able to get money last year, which bad parents couldn’t sometimes manage to pay for over ten years. This is the real result of the implementation of two packages of legislative initiatives within the framework of the Ministry of Justice project # No child left behind. In total, UAH 2.5 billion was returned to Ukrainian children", the Minister of Justice said.

According to him, the most significant incentive to pay off the debt was the restriction of debtors in the right to leave the territory of Ukraine, to drive a car, use weapons and hunt.

"Such prohibitions have been assigned for more than 130,000 Ukrainians. In addition, almost 31,000 administrative protocols have been drawn upon parents evading financial support for their own children. 3,124 non-payers were punished in the shape of community service, payment for which was directed to pay off the debt to children", added the Minister of Justice.

Financial sanctions imposed after the adoption of the second package of legislative changes in this direction are equally effective.

"Although we began to impose sanctions in the amount from 20% to 50% of the amount of spousal support arrears only in August, they already have a real impact on the behavior of non-payers. During this time, 62 thousand decisions were passed imposing penalties on debtors who have arrears over a year. Of these, 1,100 decisions have already been executed. At that from the debtors there have been recovered UAH 17,000,000 for the benefits of children", said the Minister of Justice.

In general, he noted, as a result of the effect of all the innovations last year, 52,600 debtors paid off the arrears of alimony payments in full. Another 43,900 enforcement documents were withdrawn by collectors because of the absence of claims to the debtor.

"Adopted in the first and second package of laws # No child left behind changes to the law really created the conditions for the proper implementation of decisions on the spouse support payouts and allowed to reduce the arrears of payment of alimony", summed up Pavlo Petrenko.