Ukrainian children deported to Russia & Belarus: What can we do about it?

About the event

The European Liberal Forum (ELF) invites you to an important discussion focused on the urgent issue of the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus in the midst of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Join us for a Fireside Chat featuring Nobel Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk, an unwavering advocate for children’s rights and a compelling voice for change. 

Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has initiated investigations into over 3,000 criminal cases related to alleged offences committed by Russia against children within its borders. These accusations encompass a wide range of severe actions, such as “murders, mutilations, abduction of children, forced displacement, deportation, sexual violence against children, and kidnapping.”

Last week, 13 more Ukrainian children returned to their families from the Russian-occupied territories of Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Around 20,000 cases of illegal deportation involving Ukrainian children being sent to Russia or Russian-occupied territory have been officially documented. The available evidence strongly suggests that Russian attempts to influence and control the abducted Ukrainian children are not isolated incidents but rather part of a systematic and far-reaching strategy.

What can and should we do about it? How can we help Ukrainian children and their parents avoid going through a disastrous experience perpetrated by the Kremlin with the objective to erase their Ukrainian identity?

Programme

Opening remarks by MEP Hilde Vautmans, ELF President
Welcome message from Alva Finn, ELF Executive Director
Fireside Chat with Nobel Prize Winner Oleksandra Matviichuk, moderated by MEP Catharina Rinzema, ELF Board Member and Vice-Chair of the Intergroup on Children’s Rights
Q&A

Join us at 4pm online or at the ELF Office at Rue d’Idalie 11, 1050 Ixelles.