Distinguished participants,

The Delegation of Ukraine wishes to thank the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Dr. Kari Johnstone and her Office for organizing this important conference.

As it was stressed today by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Dr. Ian Borg, ODIHR’s Director Matteo Mecacci and many other speakers russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has a detrimental impact on the civilian population of Ukraine, in particular women and children. 

russia’s war has forced over 14 million people in Ukraine from their homes as refugees and IDPs, which represents around one-third of Ukrainian population. It remains the largest human displacement crisis in the world today.

Moreover, thousands of Ukrainians, including children, are forcibly deported from the invaded territories to russia, including the most remote regions. In russia, they face intimidation, ill-treatment, labour and sexual exploitation, trafficking in persons and other abuses and threats.

In a number of independent international reports on the human rights and IHL violations amidst the ongoing russian aggression against Ukraine it was stressed that the massive displacement exposes children to numerous risks, such as the risk of being killed or injured during the displacement, the risk of human trafficking and exploitation, the risk of child labour, the risk of forced recruitment or the risk of gender-based violence. Appropriate measures must be put in place to protect children against these risks.

The forcible transfer or deportation of Ukrainian children also expose them to such grave violations as a change of the child’s personal status, including citizenship, separation from parents or guardians, illegal adoption, and other violations or abuses leading to their forced assimilation in russia. Such actions encompass numerous violations of international humanitarian law and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by the russian federation. 

These and many other facts were widely confirmed by the last year’s OSCE Moscow Mechanism mission of experts on the deportation of Ukrainian children to russia, which established, inter alia, that russia’s actions may amount to a crime against humanity of “deportation or forcible transfer of population”.

Given the gravity and scale of this serious international crime against Ukrainian children, the International Criminal Court issued last year the arrest warrants against the russian president and his commissioner for children’s rights.

We underline the need for the OSCE to pay special attention to the fate of all those illegally deported Ukrainians, especially children, in flagrant breach of international humanitarian law, and undertake concrete steps to help ensuring their immediate and safe return to Ukraine, and reunification with their families and true legal guardians. 

I thank you.