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’s Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, to immediately cease these practices. Urgent efforts must be made to ensure these children are reunited with their families and can be raised by their own relatives in their own culture and communities, speaking their own language.
As of 17 March 2023, this joint statement has been endorsed by 48 organisations, agencies, and networks, including Hope and Homes for Children.