The challenges of returning, rehabilitating, and reintegrating Ukrainian children who have been illegally deported or forcibly transferred to Russia were discussed during an event titled “Careful, Fragile: Childhood, War, Occupation, Deportation”, held in Kyiv. Among the participants was Chief Operating Officer of Bring Kids Back UA and Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office Dariia Zarivna.
“We are dealing not only with the physical abduction of children, but with a centralized attempt to erase their Ukrainian identity,” said Dariia Zarivna.
The event also featured a special screening of the documentary “Stolen Childhood”, which shares the real stories of Ukrainian children who lost their parents, endured occupation, were forcibly deported, or illegally taken to Russia.
According to the Chief Operating Officer of Bring Kids Back UA, Russia has created a comprehensive indoctrination system targeting Ukrainian children.
“From kindergartens to universities – the entire system is designed to erase memory, destroy identity, and raise soldiers who would fight against their own homeland. That’s why it is important to speak openly about this. Documentaries like ‘Stolen Childhood’ are a powerful tool for international advocacy,” she emphasized.
Special attention was given to the reintegration of children after their return. Iryna Tuliakova, Head of the Coordination Centre for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development, noted that all participants in this process should work in a coordinated manner.
“As part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, we, together with our partners, have created a dedicated reintegration pathway – a return route for the child from the moment they enter the Child Rights Protection Center to full recovery within their community and family,” Iryna Tuliakova said.
Participants of the discussion also included Oksana Lebedieva, founder of Gen.Ukrainian; Anastasiia Stepula, Advocacy Advisor at the Ukrainian Child Rights Network; representatives of NGOs, educational institutions, and media.