Protecting children is our duty: how the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is mobilizing the world in support of Ukraine
On September 12, the fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen initiated by Olena Zelenska took place in Kyiv. The main topic of the forum is the protection of children and guarantees of their safe future.
On the initiative of Olena Zelenska, representatives from eight countries physically joined the summit, and dozens of others joined remotely via video link. All participants expressed their solidarity with Ukraine and emphasized the need for support not only in the economic and humanitarian spheres, but also in the process of returning and protecting children.
“This summit is the only one in the world, and it is in Kyiv. Although there are local organizations of first ladies, in particular in Latin America, our forum is a unique event.” – emphasized the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.
International attention to the Ukrainian issue at various levels is enormous. According to Elena Zelenska, with each summit the number of international partners who learn more and more about the realities of Russian aggression grows, and this gradually increases international pressure on the Kremlin dictator.
“Our summit today is one of those events that gathers energy to push for action. While our military is driving the occupiers from our land, we are using all diplomatic means to get the world on our side.”, — emphasized Zelenska.
In addition to public statements of Ukraine’s support in matters of child safety, the summit discussed ways to force Putin to return illegally deported Ukrainian children. According to the official information of Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, 19,546 children have been deported so far, but according to unofficial data, this number may reach over a million.
“This is not only the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. They forcefully change the citizenship of children, their names and surnames, and also forcefully adopt them. This especially applies to the youngest children who do not even know that they are Ukrainians. We have already announced suspicions for these crimes to the two deputies of the Russian parliament, who not only do not hide these facts, but are even proud of them. Determining the whereabouts of the children is a task on which we are constantly working, not only with Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, but also with international intelligence services to share. We also work very closely with civil society institutions.” – noted the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin.
The issue of bringing to justice all those involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children, including the dictator Putin, was also discussed. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said that consultations regarding Mongolia are ongoing.
“The law is the same for all countries, regardless of where they are located – in the East, in the West, in Latin America, Mexico, Asia, Mongolia, Africa or Europe. It is the same Rome Statute, the same legal regime and the same obligation cooperate with the International Criminal Court. There was a lot of talk that Putin could go to South Africa. Now there is talk about Mexico. However, it is necessary to remember that the International Court is not a political institution. and the judiciary, and in many systems, independent judges have legitimate power. Therefore, it is not only a matter of politics, but also of the rule of law and the role of independent judges.” Karim Khan noted.
Kateryna Rashevska, an expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights, emphasized that Russia only understands the language of force. Just as economic pressure is mounting, international resolutions are being passed, and new arrest warrants are being issued by the International Criminal Court, Russia is beginning to take some action in an attempt to save its tarnished face.
According to Elena Zelenska, the summit of the first ladies and gentlemen is an important example of “soft power”, which plays a significant role in countering Russian aggression. In order to defeat the dictator, it is necessary to work together on various fronts – military, diplomatic and international.
Anyone who can help bring deported Ukrainian children home has the opportunity to provide information through the “I’m here” Telegram channel. The Ukrainian government guarantees anonymity.
It is also worth reminding that the FREEDOM TV channel, together with the authorized adviser of the President of Ukraine on child rights and child rehabilitation and the Juvenile Police of Ukraine, launched the information campaign “You know – tell!”, the purpose of which is to motivate the residents of Russia to oppose the forced deportation of Ukrainian children and to facilitate their return to of Ukraine.
