How many children disappeared during the war: Ombudsman publishes alarming statistics
The topic of the disappearance of children in Ukraine has always been painful, but the full-scale war made it even more acute, bitter and tragic. Broken families, evacuation, chaotic displacement, occupation, deportations, death of parents – all this creates conditions in which children simply disappear from the state’s field of view. And although the numbers sometimes sound like statistics, behind each of them there is a living story, a broken life, a wait that lasts for months and years.
Official statistics: more than 2,200 missing children
Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets on May 25 — the International Day of Missing Children — reported: as of today, 2,243 children who are officially considered missing are wanted in Ukraine. These data are based on the reports of the National Police.
According to Lubinets, the disappearance of minors is not limited to frontline areas or occupied territories. Children disappear both in the controlled territory, and during attempts to go abroad, and during evacuations, and after their parents die or are captured. Some of the children may have been deported to Russia or Belarus, others found themselves unaccompanied in foreign countries, where documents were lost, or the children are afraid to turn to local authorities.
The context of war: how children disappear in the chaos of occupation and evacuations
Stories of children going missing during war don’t always follow the classic abduction scenario. Many of them get lost during evacuation convoys, when different families go separately or entrust the child to acquaintances. Some children are unable to keep in touch with their relatives due to loss of telephone, electricity or mobile coverage. There are cases when the child goes to the hospital, and the parents go to another region or disappear altogether.
The situation is even more complicated in the occupied territories. Often, the child is taken away by the Russian military or the administration under the pretext of “evacuation”, and contact with her is severed. In the future, the child is either adopted in Russia or ends up in orphanages, which Ukraine knows nothing about. Reestablishing contact in such cases is extremely difficult — and not only due to lack of access, but also due to legal barriers, in particular Russian changes of names, surnames and citizenship.
Ukrainian institutions: what is being done and what is missing
Lubinets emphasized that every missing child is a challenge for the entire state, not just for a specific police department or children’s service. In the conditions of war, the Ukrainian authorities must act systematically: coordinate the work of border guards, social services, volunteers, doctors, and the ombudsman, as well as establish an exchange of information with foreign authorities where Ukrainian children may be.
The state already has several response mechanisms: databases of missing children, an automated system for recording deported persons, an ombudsman hotline, cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNICEF. However, the number of children who cannot be found for years shows that the search engine is overloaded and resources are limited.
There is also a legal vacuum regarding children who have gone abroad unaccompanied or lost their documents, particularly in the EU. Guardianship services there often do not know how to cooperate with Ukrainian authorities. The need for centralized international coordination is growing.
What everyone can do
The commissioner called on citizens to be alert to children nearby, to pay attention to those who are unaccompanied by adults, do not orient themselves in space, look scared or withdrawn. Often a child who needs help does not know who to turn to or is afraid to do so.
In addition, it is important to teach children to contact adults in difficult situations, to learn the phone numbers of relatives with them by heart, to keep a photo of the child on the phone, to give him copies of the main documents (passport, certificate, phone number of the guardian) – at least in digital form.
If the child is missing, you should immediately contact the police by calling 102. At the same time, it is recommended to notify the Office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights: at the address Kyiv, str. Instytutska, 21/8, or to the hotline 0 800 501 720.
Every minute of delay reduces the chances of finding the child quickly. In addition to the police, volunteer initiatives, the Red Cross, international organizations that help in the search for children can be reported – but only after contacting the official authorities.
Most of the 2,243 missing children have not been found, the fact of death has not been confirmed, it is not known whether they are alive or have changed their names, country, or language. This is the most painful form of loss — prolonged, without feedback, without being able to say goodbye or fight back. It does not give peace to either parents or those who are professionally engaged in the protection of children’s rights.
As long as the war continues, these disappearances will not stop. But even after its completion, the work to return the children will continue for years. And right now, when new children disappear every day, how many of them can be returned depends on society, the media, schools, and law enforcement.
