Seven Ukrainian children aged 13 to 17 returned from temporarily occupied territories – Lubinets. PHOTOS
Another seven Ukrainian children aged 13 to 17 have returned from the temporarily occupied territories as part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative with the assistance of the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
According to Censor.NET, this was announced by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.
Thanks to the active efforts of the Ombudsman’s Office team within the framework of the President of Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, another seven children have been brought home.
"I am grateful to First Lady of the United States Melania Trump for the humanitarian support of Ukraine’s initiatives on the return of children," Lubinets said.
Thanks to persistent efforts, the children aged 13 to 17 are now home.
Stories of those returned:
- A 13-year-old boy went through far too much for his age. He lost his father and later his mother, remaining alone in the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region. With no relatives nearby, he was placed in the Novokyivskyi Social Rehabilitation Center for Minors. He is now safe and will be reunited with his sister.
- Two brothers, aged 13 and 16, were left in the temporary care of their cousin after their parents died in order to avoid being separated and placed in a specialized institution. Although the boys clearly expressed their wish to reunite with their sister in Ukrainian-controlled territory, representatives of the child welfare service in the temporarily occupied territories and the police, without the presence of a legal representative, subjected them to psychological pressure and intimidation in an attempt to change their decision. The brothers will now be under their sister’s care, finally safe and protected.
- A 14-year-old boy was reunited with his mother — they had not seen each other for more than four years. They are now together again after a long separation.
"Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 2,070 children have already been brought home, but thousands are still waiting. We will continue this fight until we bring them all back," Lubinets stressed.
Support from Ukrainian businesses in the return of children
The Ombudsman’s Office directly oversees every stage of the children’s return — from contacting their families to meeting them in person at the border.
It is particularly pleasing to note that there are businesses in Ukraine for which supporting children is a key priority.
Among them is MHP, an international company with a Ukrainian spirit, and its founder and CEO, Yurii Kosiuk. This time, they joined the effort to return this group of children. I am grateful for their assistance in this noble mission!
It was previously reported that the United States is allocating $25 million for programmes to repatriate and rehabilitate Ukrainian children forcibly displaced by Russia.
