Russia’s war against Ukraine has exposed a painful truth – the current international legal system does not provide sufficient protection for children, does not stop deportations and does not guarantee the return of abducted children back home. Therefore, changes and effective mechanisms are needed to protect children and to ensure accountability for crimes against them.
This was stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha during a panel event held in the framework of the 32nd OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna, which was dedicated to Russia’s indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children.
The event, initiated by Ukraine, was attended by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the OSCE Secretary General, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and also the Foreign Ministers of Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Monaco and Slovenia, the UK Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Estonia, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the OSCE PA Special Representative on the abduction of the Ukrainian Children and an Associate Researcher at the GLOBSEC think tank.
The Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of the UN General Assembly resolution on the return of Ukrainian children, which was adopted on the eve. He expressed his gratitude to all UN member states who supported the document, but also condemned those who voted against it. He also expressed concern regarding those states that abstained during this voting.
The Minister informed the participants about the numerous heinous crimes committed by Russia against Ukrainian children during its aggression. He recalled that this includes 1.6 million Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories or in Russia, who live under constant threat every day.
“This is not statistics – these are children whose lives, families and future are being destroyed. It is crucial to understand the intentions behind these actions. This is systematic militarization and indoctrination – an attempt to erase Ukrainian identity and turn children into instruments of future aggression”, the Foreign Minister said.
Andrii Sybiha once again called on the international community to take joint actions to return thousands of children abducted by Russia and to prevent future crimes.
“Only when the perpetrator understands that the punishment is inevitable, he will think twice before committing a crime. The UN resolution is an important step, but it must be followed by other tangible mechanisms: searching for children, identifying them and ensuring the safe return of everyone back home”, he stressed.
In this regard Andrii Sybiha called for the introduction of additional sanctions against Russian war criminals involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children. He also underlined the importance of the subsequent invocation of the OSCE Moscow mechanism specifically in relation to Russia’s indoctrination and militarization of the Ukrainian children.
It is time to strengthen international law and to ensure that in conflicts children are the first to receive protection, and not the first to suffer.
The Foreign Minister also stressed that it is not enough to simply return the abducted child – it is essential to work to restore the child’s stolen childhood and provide them with appropriate rehabilitation programs.
Andrii Sybiha also provided information on the work of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, launched by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which are developing cooperation and practical tools to ensure the return of children in every individual case.
The Minister expressed his special gratitude to Canada for its leadership and co-chairing of the Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, as well as to all states that help keep this issue high on the agenda of the OSCE and other international organizations and fora.