A 10-year-old girl was able to return from the occupation to her family after nine months and six unsuccessful attempts
The return of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories is one of the most difficult humanitarian missions of modern Ukraine. During the war, many children were separated from their parents, finding themselves in difficult circumstances from which it is impossible to get out on their own. The process of return is complicated by strict control measures by the occupation authorities, the lack of the possibility of official departure, and the risks for relatives and volunteers who try to help.
The story of a 10-year-old girl who, after nine months and six failed attempts, was able to return to her family is just one of many cases that illustrate the complexity of the problem. Her story told Darya Kasyanova, program director of the international charity SOS Children’s Towns Ukraine.
“Most often, we receive requests from foreign journalists for information and stories of children who have been deported. But every time we tell the stories of our children, we show that it has long been no difference where the child is – in the Russian Federation or in the occupation. There are such occupied territories from which it is impossible even for families to escape, especially if the child has lost parents or guardians. One of the most difficult cases was related to the occupied territory.” – said Darya Kasyanova.
The girl found herself in the occupation in the first months of the war. She lived in a village that at first seemed safe, but later came under the control of the occupiers. The child’s mother made numerous attempts to return her, first trying to take her through Belarus, but she was detained, interrogated and deported. Each subsequent attempt required the collection of new documents, the organization of transportation and significant financial costs.
Only after six attempts lasting nine months, the girl managed to be evacuated to the territory controlled by Ukraine. All this time, she kept with her a suitcase with prayer books left by her grandmother, who died during the occupation. For her, these things became a symbol of memory of her native village and family roots.
The problem of forced deportation of Ukrainian children has gained an international dimension. On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin due to the criminal practice of transporting Ukrainian children to Russia. According to official data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, more than 19,000 children were forcibly taken to the Russian Federation, and not all of them have a chance to return home.
The systematic violation of children’s rights in the occupation zone and the difficulty of their return require both state and international efforts. Volunteer organizations, diplomats and human rights defenders are working to ensure that children left without family protection can return home. Each case of return is a struggle with bureaucracy, danger and human indifference that lasts for months. Ukraine does not stop making efforts to return every child who ended up in the hands of enemies.
