Russia's War On Children

KIDNAPPINGS

Some of those kidnapped are war orphans. Some were separated from their parents during ‘filtration’. And some have been lured into Russia through the summer camp scheme – Ukrainian parents were told that their children would receive a brief respite from the war. Instead, they were abducted.

19,546

They’ve been transferred or forcibly relocated to the Russian Federation or Republic of Belarus from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

It was possible to retrieve only

388

children.

Nearly

4,390

abducted children are orphans or children without parental care.

<2%

of abducted kids have been returned to Ukraine.

GLOBAL COVERAGE

Find out more details about Russia’s child trafficking schemes from reputable media sources.

The New York Times

From the start of the invasion, the Russian authorities purposefully removed children from Ukraine, aiming to turn them against their homeland.

Important Stories

How Russian parliamentary leader Sergey Mironov and his new wife adopted a child kidnapped from Ukraine and changed her identity.

The Guardian

Thousands of Ukrainian children put through Russian  ‘re-education’ camps, US report finds.

Svidomi

We can assume that 1,5 million Ukrainian children can remain both in the occupied territories and in the territory of the Russia

The Telegraph

Belarus abducts thousands of Ukrainian children: Alexander Lukashenko implicated in alleged war crime

Novaya Gazeta Europe

Who is Maria Lvova-Belova, the children’s rights advocate accused of war crimes alongside Putin?

CONFERENCE

The forced transfer and abduction of children in conflict zones constitute a blatant violation of the fourth Geneva Convention and are an appalling war crime. Since the start of the war and up ’til this day millions of Ukrainian children endure psychological trauma from the war. To address the issue, from January 31 to February 1, 2024, conference ‘Russia’s War on Children’ was held in Riga, Latvia, to bring justice to Ukrainian children.

Conference recap

Topics covered:

Children’s first-hand testimonies and stories

Overview and discussion of political and legal aspects

What can be done? Return, accountability & awareness

We continue the fight to halt the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia

and ensure their safe repatriation and family reunification, while upholding the child’s welfare and international laws.

Objectives of the Conference

Support the return of children and family reunification

Explore avenues of legal and political accountability

Raise public awareness

Foster international support

PATRONS & SPEAKERS

Ms Olena Zelenska

First Lady of Ukraine

H.E. Mr Anatolii Kutsevol

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Latvia

Mr Egils Levits

President of Latvia from 2019 to 2023

Ms Daria Herasymchuk

Advisor – Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights and Rehabilitation of Children

Ms. Liene Dambiņa

Chairman of the Board  of the Children’s Hospital Foundation

Mr John Tully

President of AmCham Latvia

See all speakers

Ms Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica

Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Latvia

Ms Olena Khomenko

Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Chairperson of the Special Committee on Ukrainian Children

Ms Kristīne Līce

Legislation and International Law Advisor to The President of Latvia

Ms Mariia Mezentseva

Member of the Parliament of Ukraine

Ms Gunta Sloga

Executive Director of the Baltic Centre for Media Excellence

Mr Andriy Kostin

Prosecutor General of Ukraine

Mr Shan Patel

Senior Adviser on the Prosecution of International Crimes of European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine

Ms Natalia Zaba

Google Teaching Fellow for Central and Eastern Europe

H.E. Ms Evika Siliņa

Prime Minister of The Republic of Latvia

H.E. Mr Krišjānis Kariņš

Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Republic of Latvia

Ms Andra Levite

First Lady of the Republic of Latvia (2019-2023)

Ms Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga

President of Latvia (1999-2007)

Ms Sandra Kalniete

Member of The European Parliament

Mr Jim O’Brien

Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia (USA)

Mr Roberts Zīle

Vice president of European Parliament

Ms Kerry Kennedy

President of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

Mr Christopher “Kip” Hale

Chief of Staff of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine

Ms Inese Lībiņa-Egnere

Minister of Justice of Latvia

Mr Andriy Yermak

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Head of the Coordination Council for the Protection and Safety of Children as a consultative and advisory body under the President of Ukraine

Ms Elisa von Joeden-Forgey

The Lemkin Institute, Co-Founder and Executive Director

Ms Cecilie Hellestveit

Fellow at the Norwegian Academy of International Law

Ms Iryna Suslova

Representative of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights of Ukraine

Ms Mariam Lambert

Co-Founder – ground Director, Orphans Feeding Foundation (the Netherlands)

Ms Darya Kasyanova

Head of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network

Mr Maksimas Milta

Country Director of the Reckoning Project

Ms Katrin Göring-Eckardt

Vice president of Bundestag

Mr Nathaniel Raymond

Executive director of the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab

Ms Yulia Usenko

Prosecutor General Office

The President of Ukraine approved the Bring Kids Back UA action plan which includes 7 key blocks:

Volodymyr Zelenskiy

The President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskiy

The President of Ukraine

Since February 24, everything has changed in our country. And literally every day now is a day of protection for us. Protection of all our people, children, our future. Protection of a free country where every child can, when he or she grows up, live the life he or she wants. Without coercion or oppression.

To strengthen the government’s work with deported and forcibly displaced children and add to the work process, the President of Ukraine decided to establish the Coordination Council for the Protection and Safety of Children.

Return of abducted Ukrainian children by international and national instruments;

Better Care System: development of family-based care, reform of the system of institutional care;

Reintegration of children, organization of their socialization and relevant educational initiatives;

The Child Rights Protection Center;

Accountability. determination of crimes and justice;

Inter-parliamentary interaction;

Communications and public events.

MEDIA

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