Meeting with NGO representatives at the Office of the President: steps to return deported Ukrainian children discussed

On November 29, 2024, the Office of the President of Ukraine hosted an important meeting of civil society representatives with the Bring Kids Back UA initiative team. The participants discussed joint efforts to find, return and reintegrate children forcibly displaced by Russia.

Dariia Zarivna, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President and Chief Operating Officer of Bring Kids Back UA, stressed the need to combine the efforts of government and civil society: “We are actively engaging the Ukrainian public in Bring Kids Back UA. The experience of national organisations is unique. We also work with international partners, in particular with the countries of the Global South.“

Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, reported on the updates to the register of deported children maintained by the Ministry of Justice. “We need to join our efforts to create a unified database and increase pressure on Russia,” she said.

Particular attention was paid to the coordination of actions with civil society organisations. Alena Lunova, Advocacy Director of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA, and Onysiia Syniuk, Legal Analyst of ZMINA, presented their proposals and expertise. They stressed the importance of coordinating efforts between government agencies and human rights defenders to document crimes and return children.

Alena Lunova

Daria Herasymchuk, Advisor to the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, called for active dissemination of information abroad through the Stolen Voices campaign. “The voice of Ukrainian children should be heard loudly around the world. Only by working together can we bring back their truth,” Herasymchuk said.

Representatives of civil society organisations also raised the issue of creating a clear system for sending urgent requests from families and children. The Bring Kids Back UA initiative calls on the public to join joint efforts to bring all Ukrainian children home as soon as possible.