Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska has expressed her desire to help ensure the return of thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly taken by Russia
An estimated 19,500 Ukrainian children are being held in Russia, having been forcibly transferred or deported to Russia or the territories it has occupied.
“They are being told that nobody is looking for them in Ukraine. Nobody needs them in Ukraine,” Zelenska said at an American television program.
She noted that it is “dangerous” to keep waiting, but added that returning the children has been a very slow process.
She mentioned that 388 children have been returned from Russia.
“If we are going to bring our children back at this rate, we will need more than 30 years to bring them back,” Zelenska stated.
Also, the Ukrainian First Lady took part in the event “Securing the Future for Children: Addressing New Challenges for Soft Power” held on the sidelines of the UN Summit of the Future and the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly.
“This year, the themes of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen and the UN Summit align: they both address the future of children. This is a very symbolic coincidence, which means that we are all concerned about the fate of children, regardless of the country,” Olena stated.
She shared the results of the study conducted in 15 countries for the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. The survey showed that every fourth child in the world suffers from the direct impact of war.
Olena Zelenska called on all adults to take action to save children.
“It is a shame to say, but if the abduction of 19,000 children, along with acts of torture, mutilation, and murder, occurs before our very eyes, it means that all the world’s regulations and international safeguards in place have failed. So, we need fundamentally new tools.”
Olena Zelenska
The event was held at the initiative of the Global Platform of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which demonstrates the growing scale of the project launched by the wife of the President of Ukraine in 2021.
The event was co-organized by Ukraine, Estonia, Belize, Lithuania, Suriname, Finland, Malawi, Guatemala, the Governments of the United Kingdom and Canada, and UNICEF.
Among the speakers were the First Ladies of the countries involved in the organization. The First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, delivered a special address.
The event also featured speeches by Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Amélie Derbaudrenghien, wife of the President of the European Council, Kitty van der Heijden, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Maggie Johnson, Vice President and Global Head of Google, and Yasmine Sherif.
Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crisis, as well as youth representatives – a programmer and advocate for the rights of child victims of sexual abuse from Belize and an environmentalist from Senegal.
Zelenska Presents Expert Document
Ukrainian First Lady, Olena Zelenska presented an expert document developed by Ukrainian specialists in collaboration with state authorities to implement the joint declaration from the fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.
“It contains all the country’s experience gained during the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation. This is not theory; it is our practice — suffered experience. Ukraine offers this document as a guide for the international community to help act effectively and protect children in wartime.”
Olena Zelenska
“The whole world once reacted to the Chornobyl disaster. Back then, everyone understood that radiation threatened everyone,” she pointed out.
“The same is true with aggression and the violation of children’s rights. They are already poisoning our world, already affecting children, even those far from the frontlines. At least, for now.”
Olena Zelenska
“If we wish to prevent a world where our children have no rights, I call on everyone to respond to these threats as adults should. By taking decisive action,” Olena Zelenska concluded.
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