Children of war

State Strategy for Family Upbringing of Children in Ukraine: the Right to a Happy Childhood

Every child deserves love, security and the opportunity to grow in an environment that promotes their harmonious development. Childhood is a period when the foundations of personality are laid, values ​​are formed, and the atmosphere in which a child grows up influences his future. Unfortunately, not all children have the opportunity to live this important time for life in the circle of relatives. Orphaned children, those without parental care, or children who have been forcibly displaced or deported face numerous challenges. It is especially important for such children to create conditions that will ensure their right to a happy childhood in a family environment.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets noted the importance of the government’s adoption of the Strategy for ensuring the right of every child to grow up in a family environment. This document is an important step in reforming the system of care and support for children. It is aimed at creating conditions in which every child will have a chance to grow up in an atmosphere of love, care and security that only a family can provide. The adopted Strategy defines family education as the main priority and provides for the transformation of institutional care facilities.

The Ombudsman believes that if the implementation of the Strategy is successful, by 2028 about 95% of orphans and children deprived of parental care will be able to grow up in family forms of education. The number of children in institutional care is expected to decrease by 30% and the number of children under the age of three by 80% compared to 2023. These figures indicate the desire for real changes, which are designed to give children the right to a happy childhood.

See also  Dog Patron and children of war: how schoolchildren learn safety rules 

The Government adopted this Strategy on November 30, 2024. As Natalya Zabolotna, First Deputy Head of OVA noted, this document is a road map for reforming the system of care and support for children in Ukraine. The strategy aims not only to change approaches to caring for children, but also to ensure a long-term positive impact on their lives. Among the main goals of the document: strengthening families to prevent children from being separated from their relatives; providing children with family forms of education; facilitating family reunification after deportation or evacuation; creating conditions for raising children with disabilities and those who need special support.

It is important to consider that Ukrainian children felt the devastating impact of a full-scale invasion: millions of children experienced displacement, poverty, lack of access to basic services, deportation and forced separation from their relatives. First deputy Natalya Zabolotna emphasized that the Strategy takes into account this complex context and is part of the overall process of recovery and support for children.

Implementation of the provisions of the Strategy will ensure the child’s right to grow up in a safe family environment with high-quality provision of his individual needs. This confirms Ukraine’s commitment to European values ​​and the European integration course of development. As Natalya Zabolotna emphasized, this is the path of Ukraine as a European country, and its importance is already felt today.

The newly created Coordination Center for the Development of Family Education and Child Care deals with the coordination of the implementation of the Strategy. This advisory body of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine works with the support of the European Union and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative to create the center belongs to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the First Lady Olena Zelenskyi with the assistance of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

See also  The inspection of the Chernihiv Military Lyceum shocked: children live in dangerous and unacceptable conditions

The implementation of this Strategy is not just a step towards reforming the child care system, but also a real manifestation of concern for the future of the country. Children are our tomorrow, and every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a family circle where love, respect and understanding reign. The successful implementation of this Strategy will prove that Ukraine is able to create decent conditions for the least protected members of society, laying the foundations for their happy future.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Back to top button