The American initiative Builders Ukraine, with the support of the public organization PR Army, is collecting signatures for a petition to the UN urging Russia to return forcibly deported Ukrainian children. The initiative is part of the Where Are Our People? campaign.
According to the Regional Human Rights Center, as of February 24, 2022, Russian occupiers deported over 250,000 children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which is a direct violation of the Fourth Article of the Geneva Convention. Ukraine has identified 19,546 of them and managed to return 388. Finding Ukrainian minors becomes increasingly difficult every day: Ukraine’s Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets stated that it would take at least 55 years to return them based on existing mechanisms. Russia refuses to provide lists of names and whereabouts of children unless international pressure on them increases.
“As a result of our cooperation with Builders Ukraine, the UN, for the first time, heard testimonies from children who have experienced deportation. Their bravery when they recounted the horrors of their abduction moved many to tears, including translators and diplomats from various countries. The stories of these children underscore the urgent need for international pressure on Russia and concrete steps to return deported minors to Ukraine. However, overall repatriation is currently impossible until Ukraine achieves complete victory on the battlefield and effective steps are taken by the UN in the legal field,” said Khrystyna Shkudor, advocacy manager of PR Army.
Numerous documented crimes indicate that Russia continues to forcibly deport Ukrainian children, many of whom belong to socially vulnerable groups — orphans, children deprived of parental care, and minors who have lost parents or guardians during hostilities. According to researchers of the Where Are Our People? campaign, deported children are subjected to active re-education in places of detention and militarization. These actions by Russia have genocidal implications.
“Builders Ukraine has launched a petition to urge the UN to demand Russia to release and safely return all deported Ukrainian children. Without international pressure and a repatriation mechanism, tens of thousands of forcibly displaced minors may never return home. We cannot stand idly by. We must intervene and repatriate these children,” emphasized Mariet Hammel, representative of Builders Ukraine.
Builders Ukraine calls on the international community to sign and promote the petition on social media using the hashtag #releasethechildren. In this way, the initiators aim to urge the UN to prioritize the safe return of deported Ukrainian children, compel Russia to register them with the International Committee of the Red Cross, involve relevant organizations, including UNICEF and the International Red Cross, to organize coordinated repatriation of all abducted children from Ukraine.
The petition can be signed at the link provided. Currently, 100,000 signatures are needed for it to be considered by the UN.
Note:
Builders Ukraine is a program aimed at engaging American support for Ukraine's courageous struggle for freedom and democracy against destructive authoritarianism. The initiative's co-chairs include actor Liev Schreiber, chef Jose Andres, Colonel Alexander Vindman, founder of KIND Snacks Daniel Lubetzky, and Garry Kasparov.
PR Army is an independent nonprofit organization of Ukrainian communication experts. The team works with global media and connects Ukrainian war witnesses, officials, and experts from various fields with international journalists. PR Army's mission is to help Ukraine win the information war against the Russian Federation and build Ukraine's image as a democratic and independent European country. Launched within hours after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Where Are Our People? (WAOP) is a global PR Army campaign aimed at exposing Russia's planned policy of forced deportation of Ukrainians, highlighting the issue in discourse, and calling for the necessity of ongoing pressure on Russia and international human rights organizations to facilitate the return of deportees.
Information about author:
Bogdan Pavlenko
+380999255495
Kyiv, Ukraine
Source: Story.KISSPR.com
Release ID: 948519