The article provides a comparative legal analysis of international standards for ensuring the procedural rights of minors and their implementation in national legislation. It examines UN instruments, EU Directive 2016/800, the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as regulatory models in Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, and several CIS countries. Three conceptual approaches are identified: the formal-normative, paternalistic, and functional (child-friendly justice) models. The study argues that international standards recognize minors not merely as objects of protection but as active procedural subjects whose views and psychological condition must have real influence on decision-making. It concludes that international standards should not be mechanically transplanted but substantively adapted and gradually implemented within the national legal framework.

minor; criminal proceedings; international standards; child-friendly justice; procedural safeguards; functional approach; psychological safety; comparative analysis; implementation.

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"Уголовно-процессуальный кодекс Российской Федерации" от 18.12.2001 N 174-ФЗ (ред. от 29.12.2025) (с изм. и доп., вступ. в силу с 20.01.2026) (Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation of 18 December 2001 No. 174-FZ (as amended on 29 December 2025, with amendments effective from 20 January 2026).

Уголовно-процессуальный кодекс Азербайджанской Республики (утвержден Законом Азербайджанской Республики от 14 июля 2000 года № 907-IQ) https://continent-online.com/Document/?doc_id=30420280 (Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan (approved by the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan of 14 July 2000 No. 907-IQ)

Уголовно-процессуальный кодекс Туркменистана от 18 апреля 2009 года (с изменениями и дополнениями по состоянию на 12.04.2025 г.)

(Criminal Procedure Code of Turkmenistan of 18 April 2009 (as amended and supplemented as of 12 April 2025).)

Постановление Пленума Верховного Суда РФ от 01.02.2011 N 1 (ред. от 09.12.2025) "О судебной практике применения законодательства, регламентирующего особенности уголовной ответственности и наказания несовершеннолетних" https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_110315/ (Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 1 February 2011 No. 1 (as amended on 9 December 2025) “On Judicial Practice in Applying Legislation Regulating the Specific Features of Criminal Liability and Punishment of Minors.”.

Постановление Совета министров Республики Беларусь от 26 ноября 2025 г. № 676 “О привлечении педагога, психолога к участию в уголовном процессе” https://pravo.by/document/?guid=12551&p0=C22500676 (Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of 26 November 2025 No. 676 “On the Involvement of a Pedagogue and Psychologist in Criminal Proceedings.”.

Уголовно-процессуальный Кодекс Республики Молдова. https://www.legis.md

(Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Moldova. Available at: https://www.legis.md)

Уголовно-процессуальный Кодекс Республики Казахстан (с изменениями и дополнениями по состоянию на 16.09.2025 г.). https://prg.kz/document/?doc_id=31575852

(Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (as amended and supplemented as of 16 September 2025). Available at: https://prg.kz/document/?doc_id=31575852)

Directive (EU) 2016/800 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on procedural safeguards for children who are suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2016/800/oj/eng

Dan Markel, Jennifer M. Collins, and Ethan J. Leib, Privilege or Punish: Criminal Justice and the Challenge of Family Ties (OUP 2009); Shona Minson and Rachel Condry, ‘The Visibility of Children Whose Mothers Are Being Sentenced for Criminal Offences in the Courts of England and Wales’ (2015) 32 Law Context: A Socio-Legal J. 28.

Уголовно-процессуальный кодекс Федеративной Республики Германия - Strafprozessordnung (StPO) https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/6039/file/sdrs02.pdf(Criminal Procedure Code of the Federal Republic of Germany – Strafprozessordnung (StPO).

legislation.gov.uk (UK Legislation Website. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk)

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Case of Blokhin v. Russia (Application No. 47152/06) https://hudoc.echr.coe.int

(Case of Blokhin v. Russia (Application No. 47152/06). European Court of Human Rights. Available at: https://hudoc.echr.coe.int)