Emergency Services Rescue Children Left Home Alone in Odessa Region

In the Odessa region, police and emergency services rescued four children who had been left home alone by their mother for almost a day. The woman had previously faced administrative penalties for neglecting her parental duties.

According to the National Police press service, the incident occurred in the town of Kodima on July 9 around 17:00. During a joint inspection with social services of living conditions for children in families facing difficult circumstances, police visited the home of a 28-year-old woman raising four sons aged from 11 months to 9 years. The apartment door was locked, and the children informed through the window that their mother had been gone since the previous evening.

Rescue workers were called to the scene to open the door, and an ambulance, accompanied by social workers, took the children to a medical facility for examination. Their health is not in danger.

“The mother had already been held administratively responsible for neglecting her parental responsibilities in 2021, 2023, and 2024. The court had imposed fines on her, which she paid. Regarding yesterday’s incident, the mother returned home after the boys were already with us. We filed a report under Part 1 of Article 184 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses. The maximum penalty that the court can impose is a fine of 1700 hryvnias. We have also contacted the child services department regarding the potential removal of the boys and the termination of the mother's parental rights,” - stated Lyudmila Bubernko, Deputy Head of Police Activity Department No. 1 of the Podilsky District Police.