A proposal has been made in Ukraine to raise the age of majority to 21
A petition has appeared on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, in which the author proposes raising the age of majority and the age of sexual consent from 18 to 21. She believes this will help better protect young people from manipulation, psychological pressure, and sexual exploitation.
So far, this is only a public initiative. For the government to be required to consider it, the petition must gather 25,000 signatures. As of the evening of July 1, 226 people had signed it.
A new initiative has been registered on the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers’ e-petition portal, proposing to change the age of majority and the age of sexual consent in Ukraine. Petition No. 41/010223-26ep was posted on July 1, 2026. Its author is Anastasia Oleksandrivna Krupskaya. In her petition, she asks the government to consider raising the following to age 21:
- the age of majority;
- the age of sexual consent.
The author emphasizes that this is not currently a bill or a final decision. She proposes first conducting a detailed study and a broad public discussion. In her view, although an 18-year-old already has most civil rights and responsibilities, at this age they may still be more vulnerable to psychological influence, manipulation, and pressure from older people.
The petition notes that modern research in psychology and neurobiology shows that the areas of the brain responsible for self-control, risk assessment, planning, and making informed decisions often continue to develop until the age of 20–25. The author also draws attention to high-profile cases of sexual violence and exploitation of young people that have recently been the subject of active public discussion. In her view, raising the age limits could:
- better protect young people from sexual exploitation and coercion;
- reduce the risk of psychological influence by older people;
- reflect current scientific knowledge about human development;
- launch a broad public discussion on the balance between personal freedom and additional protection for young people.
At the same time, the author specifically emphasizes that her initiative is not intended to restrict citizens’ rights. “The goal is not to restrict citizens’ rights, but to strengthen the protection of young people from sexual exploitation, psychological pressure, and other forms of abuse,” the petition states.
The signatories also ask the Cabinet of Ministers to establish a special expert commission. They propose that the commission include lawyers, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurobiologists, representatives of civil society organizations, and human rights advocates. According to the authors of the initiative, it is precisely such a group that should assess whether there are grounds for raising the age of majority and the age of sexual consent.
In addition, the petition proposes conducting a comprehensive scientific and legal study and, before adopting any changes, organizing a broad public discussion involving scientists, relevant government agencies, and the public. As of 6:00 p.m. on July 1, the petition had gathered 226 signatures out of the required 25,000. There are 92 days remaining until the end of the signature-gathering period.
If the petition gathers the required number of signatures during this time, the Cabinet of Ministers will be required to officially review it and provide a response. Currently, no decisions have been made regarding changes to the age of majority or the age of sexual consent in Ukraine. This information is taken from the relevant petition published on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
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