Daughter in exchange for food: a mother and her accomplice to stand trial in Chernihiv region

In the Chernihiv region, a case against a 33-year-old local woman and a 52-year-old man has been brought to court. Prosecutors accuse them of systematically sexually exploiting the woman’s 7-year-old daughter. Both are currently in custody.

The charges concern events in 2024. According to the investigation, the mother regularly handed the child over to the man. Law enforcement documented at least two incidents:

• In one case, the accused took the girl to a forest, where they forced her to perform sexual acts.
• In another, investigators found that the woman handed her daughter over to the man in exchange for food. He then took the child to a body of water and sexually assaulted her.

The following charges have been brought:

• Both are charged with trafficking in children and sexual violence against a minor under Part 3 of Article 149 and Part 6 of Article 153 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
• The mother is additionally charged with producing child pornography under Part 4 of Article 301-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

During the investigation, two children were removed from the family. They are abroad in their grandmother’s care and are now safe.

It also emerged that in June 2026, the accused man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping another child. The prosecution is appealing the verdict, seeking a life sentence.

We previously reported:

• Life sentence for sexually abusing seven girls: foster father sentenced
• Mother arrested in the Chernihiv region for selling her young daughter for sexual exploitation
• In Zakarpattia, a mother and her partner raped her daughter
• Horror in the Kyiv region: mother photographed her partner raping her daughter
• Shocking verdict: mother sentenced for a horrific crime against her daughter