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Russia’s war on Ukraine is having devastating impacts on children and families. More than 7 million children are affected, having experienced violence, loss of family members, displacement, and disrupted education. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian children have been separated from their families and communities and forcibly transferred to Russian-occupied territories or deported to Russia and Belarus. Some have been placed in Russian foster and adoptive families and given Russian nationality. Many of these children have been transferred to “camps” and other facilities, where Russian officials…
In the present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 49/1, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine outlines the main findings since the outset of its mandate. The body of evidence collected shows that Russian authorities have committed a wide range of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in many regions of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation. Many of these amount to war crimes and include wilful killings, attacks on civilians, unlawful confinement, torture, rape, and forced transfers and deportations…
On March 8, 2023, the European Commission published the communication on “Temporary protection for those fleeing Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine: one year on.” This Communication takes stock of the Temporary Protection Directive implemented on 4 March 2022 over the course of one year. It provides insight into how the EU managed to enable and coordinate a response to the largest displacement on European soil since the Second World War. It also identifies priority areas where continued efforts are needed to guarantee the rights provided for in the Directive. Furthermore,…
The forcible transfer, deportation and adoption of children from Ukraine, resulting in permanently separating children from their families, communities and culture, is a clear violation of their human rights and of international humanitarian law, and poses a substantial threat to their safety and wellbeing as well as to their sense of identity and belonging.
We condemn these practices and urge all parties to the conflict to respect international laws and standards that are there to protect children in conflict and other emergencies.
We call upon the Russian authorities, including Russia…
The "Children of War" platform was created on behalf of the Office of the President of Ukraine by the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine together with the National Information Bureau, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the National Police, the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the President for the accumulation, processing and partial disclosure of information about children under martial law, namely: the number of injured and dead children, deported children, those who were found and those who are…
In recent decades, escalating and protracted conflicts, natural disasters and extreme weather events often exacerbated by climate change, and major health emergencies, such as COVID-19, have resulted in rapid increases in the numbers of people and communities in need of emergency social assistance and support. These crises often compound existing problems of poverty, inequality and social injustice, disproportionately impact women and children, and increase hardships for those already predisposed to vulnerability.
Social service workers play a crucial role in helping individuals, families…
The aim of this guidance document is to provide a framework to support child protection practitioners and policymakers working both inside Ukraine and in host countries to implement responses related to children’s care in the context of Ukraine in line with international standards and good practice on children’s care and the provision of alternative care.
This is neither a communications document nor a detailed toolkit, but rather a starting point of key recommendations to inform strategic priorities, programme design, and priority interventions and advocacy efforts with policymakers,…
This report follows the route of asylum seekers arriving in Tapachula. It draws on a March 2022 visit during which the researchers conducted field documentation and interviews with asylum seekers, government officials, UN agencies, and civil society organizations providing services to migrants. The report highlights abuses, arbitrary treatment, and steep obstacles faced by asylum seekers at each step of their process.
In this workshop Family for Every Child members Flüchtlingsrat Niedersachsen (The Refugee Council of Lower Saxony, Germany), Programma Integra (Italy) and METAdrasi (Greece) share their experience around supporting unaccompanied minors, with For Our Children (FoC) in Bulgaria. They share top tips with FoC as they navigate the arrival of unaccompanied minors fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, and find ways to support them.
During emergencies, such as conflict, it is a well-accepted principle of States’ obligations under international law that adoption is not an appropriate response for unaccompanied and separated children. Children separated from their parents during a humanitarian emergency cannot be assumed to be orphans.
Until the fate of a child's parents or other close relatives can be verified, each separated child should be considered as still having living relatives or legal guardians and, therefore, is not in need of adoption.
This is a joint call for a moratorium on intercountry adoption in…