War in Ukraine: the UN calls on Russia not to adopt Ukrainian children

No child from Ukraine should be adopted in Russia, a U.N. official said Tuesday in New York, as several thousand are believed to have been transferred to that country since the Russian invasion on February 24.

 

We always insist that no child is offered for adoption during a conflict because the UN favors the return of children to their families, said Afshan Khan, regional director of Unicef (United Nations Children's Fund) for Europe and Central Asia at a press conference.

 

Regarding the children who have been sent to Russia, we are working closely with mediators and networks to see how we can best document these cases, added Afshan Khan, without being able to give figures.

 

When asked if UNICEF had access to children transferred to Russia, the official said no. We do not have access to children beyond the borders of the Russian Federation. We do not have access to children beyond the borders of the Russian Federation. This is something that has to be done in agreement with the government of the Russian Federation, at its request, she said.

 

The UN had already expressed concern in early March about the risk of forced adoption of Ukrainian children, especially those, numbering about 100,000, living in institutions or boarding schools, many of them located in the east of the country, without necessarily being orphans and half of whom are disabled.