The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) unanimously adopted a resolution on the situation of children in Ukraine, which calls on member states to recognize the deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia as genocide.
This was reported by Yevheniia Kravchuk, a member of the permanent delegation of the Verkhovna Rada to PACE.
Compared to Resolution 2495 (2023), which the Assembly adopted last April, todayʼs document contains additional provisions for the protection of Ukrainian children.
The PACE unanimously adopted a resolution on the situation of children in Ukraine.
"It is important that the document renewed the provision that the deportation of Ukrainian children is a war crime, a crime against humanity and contains signs of genocide," Yevheniia Kravchuk emphasized.
The Assembly called for increased political and humanitarian support for the protection of internally displaced children. The resolution also supported the Bring Kids Back UA initiative and the creation of the International Coalition of Countries for the Return of Small Ukrainians.
PACE calls for:
- adopt statements and/or resolutions at the level of national parliaments recognizing deportations, forced displacements and unjustified delays in the repatriation of Ukrainian children as genocide;
- to inform Ukraine about the crossing of the border by citizens of the Russian Federation who illegally adopted or established guardianship over a Ukrainian child;
- introduce and ensure further compliance with sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus, as well as include in the sanctions lists persons involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children;
- to assess the participation of media representatives in propaganda campaigns organized by the Russian Federation and Belarus regarding deported Ukrainian children, with the aim of applying appropriate measures, for example, regarding refusal of accreditation and admission to public events.
In addition, the Assembly will strengthen cooperation by creating an Ad hoc committee, which will allow parliamentarians to contribute to the improvement of the situation of children of Ukraine, wherever they are.
- The deportation of Ukrainian children is one of Russiaʼs war crimes, for which the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin and the Childrenʼs Ombudsman of the Russian Federation Maria Lvova-Belova. Currently, at least 19,453 Ukrainian children are known to have been forcibly deported to Russia. Ukraine also has evidence that Belarus participates in the deportation of Ukrainian children.
- On April 27, 2023, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recognized the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to the territory of Russia as genocide. PACE called on the International Criminal Court to consider the possibility of criminal prosecution for this crime.
- On November 27, 2023, a special committee on the situation of Ukrainian children appeared in PACE. He works on issues of violation of childrenʼs rights by the Russian occupiers, deportation and abduction of Ukrainian children.