20,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped - to act a call!

20,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped - to act a call!

On today's International Children's Day (June 1, 2025), the Austrian parties ÖVP, SPÖ, NEOS and GREEN started a cross -party call to draw attention to the tragic Situation of the approximately 20,000 children abducted in Ukraine. These children have been uprooted on February 24, 2022 since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression and separated from their families. The politicians emphasize the responsibility of protecting children from violence and abuse and demanding measures to return the affected children.

"The kidnapping and re-education of Ukrainian children through Russia is a clear break in international law and an attack on human rights," said the ÖVP human rights spokeswoman Gudrun Kugler. The SPÖ human rights spokeswoman Pia Maria Wiinger emphasizes: "The violation of children's rights in crises is not acceptable. We have to be accountable for those responsible." She also refers to the suffering of children in Gaza and the need for humanitarian aid.

The situation of the kidnapped children

The fates of these children have been discussed again and again in recent months. A report by Human Rights Watch suggests that the Ukrainian children were deported to occupied areas and to Russia by forced measures by Russian authorities. The meeting of Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's child rights officer, is particularly explosive with an UN representative for children and armed conflicts, since Lvova-Belova is currently being sought by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes. This context underpins the urgency of moving the international community to return these children HRW reports that ....

The kidnapping have devastating effects on the affected children. Needs and identity are disregarded, since many of them are accommodated in facilities in which Ukrainian language and culture cannot be found again. In addition, many of the children suffered numerous rights violations and were at the mercy of military training. Estimates of the OSCE confirm that the violent deportation of Ukrainian children is a clear war crime.

call to the international community

Despite the serious situation, the parties mentioned convey hope and call for the Austrian government to actively take advantage of the protection and return of the children. Neos-human rights committee chairman Niki Scherak emphasized that the protection and return of the kidnapped children must be an integral part of every peace process. Barbara Neßler from the Greens views the kidnapping as a systematic child robbery and demands from the Austrian government to proceed against these crimes.

The United Nations' Child Rights Convention forms the legal framework to protect children from violence and exploitation. Nevertheless, a UNICEF report shows that children in war zones, such as in Ukraine, are still exposed to extreme risks. Every sixth minor grows in a conflict area, which means that children are separated from their family and often forced to flee DW addresses the rights of children in conflicts.

Time is pushing, and the voices of the parties in the Austrian parliament are an important step to raise international awareness of the situation of the Ukrainian children. The demands of repatriation and protection underline the urgency of a comprehensive humanitarian intervention and the need to decisively maintain the rights of children in conflict situations.