Ukrainian Child Rights Network releases story of a child deported by Russia and returned home

The Ukrainian Child Rights Network has released a video telling the story of a Ukrainian child who was successfully returned home to Ukraine after being illegally deported to Russia. 

“This is one story among millions, but behind it lies a complex, months-long process of search, legal work, coordination, and reintegration,” the Network said in a press release. 

Reintegration of children is part of the strategy to ensure every child’s right in Ukraine to grow up in a family environment for 2024-2028, implemented with the financial support of the European Union and with the assistance of the UNICEF Representative Office in Ukraine.

According to estimates by Ukrainian human rights defenders, around 1.6 million Ukrainian children are currently under the control of the Russian Federation in the occupied territories of Ukraine. 

“It is impossible to establish the exact number: Russia systematically conceals information, blocks access for international monitoring missions, and changes the legal status of children,” the Network says. “Therefore, this issue goes beyond physical displacement. It involves the risk of loss of identity, political indoctrination, militarisation, forced acquisition of citizenship, severing of family ties, and deep psychological trauma.”

As of today, 2,000 children have been returned to Ukraine, 339 of them with the support of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network. Each return case is a complex process that includes establishing the child’s whereabouts, verification of information, preparation and restoration of documents, logistical support, immediate psychological assistance, and long-term reintegration into the educational and social environment.

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YouTube video