40 countries have already joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children
Dmytro Lubinets, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, said that the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children Abducted by Russia already includes 40 countries. He stated this on July 16 during the presentation of the special report “Overpollinated. Systematic Russian policy of destroying the Ukrainian identity of children.”
This event brought together international partners, diplomats, media representatives and the public.
“This year’s special report focuses on the strategic aspects of Russia’s genocidal policy. Under the guise of “rehabilitation” and “treatment”, the Russian side forcefully takes away Ukrainian children, subjecting them to militarization and re-education. The goal of these actions is the complete eradication of Ukrainian identity in our children.” – emphasized the ombudsman in his speech.
In February 2024, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly announced the creation of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. In early June, First Lady Olena Zelenska announced that 37 countries had already joined the coalition. At the Peace Summit in Switzerland, the European Union joined the coalition as an observer.
Daria Gerasimchuk, the presidential commissioner for children’s rights, reported that as of the end of March 2023, the Ukrainian authorities know about more than 19.5 thousand children who were forcibly removed from the temporarily occupied territories to Russia. However, due to the occupation, it is difficult to determine the exact number of children.
On April 5, 2023, 49 countries of the world in a joint statement condemned Russia for organizing a meeting of the UN Security Council, where the alleged legal grounds for the abduction of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories were discussed. Great Britain blocked the broadcast of the speech of the Russian commissioner for children’s rights Lvova-Belova on UN resources, calling on her to answer for her actions before the court in The Hague.
The Prosecutor General’s Office noted that there is currently no single transparent mechanism for the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia. However, the Ukrainian authorities are actively working on the creation and implementation of such mechanisms, involving international partners and human rights organizations.
In recent months, the Ukrainian authorities have stepped up their efforts to return kidnapped children. Several successful operations took place, the result of which was the return of several dozen children to their homeland. In addition, a special fund was created in Ukraine to support families whose children were abducted, with the aim of providing them with psychological and material assistance.
The international community is also increasing pressure on Russia to return the kidnapped children. Both the UN and the European Union continue to express their concern over the issue and call for immediate action. At the same time, human rights organizations are active in documenting all cases of abduction and forced deportation of children in order to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable in the future.
