The Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office, Dariia Zarivna, presented the Bring Kids Back UA initiative of the President of Ukraine and the findings of the Task Force co-chaired by the Head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, and the Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, Lady Helena Kennedy LT KC, at the European Parliament. She presented the recommendations of the second White Paper.
During the Special Conference “Forcible Transfer and Deportation of Ukrainian Children by Russia: Advancing Collective Action for Bringing Children Back Home,” Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak delivered a video address.
“Every child's story reminds us of the urgent need not only to find and bring them home, but also to defend the community values, dignity and justice that are the foundation of the European Union. If children have the strength to resist the aggressor, we must be equally brave,” he said.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has expressed the EP's full support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
“Russia's war against Ukraine is a challenge to international norms and moral responsibility. The criminal displacement of Ukrainian children is one of the most shocking violations that requires a swift response,” she said.
Co-Chair of the Bring Kids Back UA Task Force, Lady Helena Kennedy LT KC, spoke about the conclusions and recommendations of the first White Paper “Protecting Children from Forced Displacement and Deportation”.
“Russia began the large-scale relocation of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories a few days before the full-scale invasion. It was not a rescue from the war zone, as Russia claimed, it was something completely different. It was a deportation,” she stressed.
The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, pointed out that in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the aggressor country is carrying out a policy of destroying the Ukrainian identity, primarily aimed at children and adolescents.
Dariia Zarivna, Chief Operating Officer of Bring Kids Back UA, presented the recommendations of the second White Paper “Reintegration of Children Affected by Deportation and Forcible Transfers: International Standards and Best Practices for Ukraine.”
“Bringing children home is only the first step in reintegrating them and restoring their rights. Children need our support to heal and resume their lives in a safe environment in accordance with the best international standards,” she said.
In addition, Ukraine presented the results of the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the Peace Formula, held in Canada on October 30-31: The Joint Communiqué and the Montreal Pledge, which should facilitate the return of all captured and deported Ukrainians.
As part of these events in Brussels, Dariia Zarivna, Lady Helena Kennedy LT KC and Vice President of the European Parliament Pina Picierno opened the Bring Kids Back UA exhibition “Lost Childhood”. The pictures of Ukrainian photographer Roman Pashkovskyi show the eyes of children who were brought back home after deportation. The exhibition also features their drawings and stories.
