Human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) is sounding the alarm about the “devastating” effects of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine on children living in institutions. Many children, including those with disabilities, were forced to shelter in basements without electricity or running water for weeks, said a report released today. In addition, thousands of children were brought to Russia or Russian-occupied territories.
“This brutal war has clearly shown the need to end threats to children in institutions,” said HRW Deputy Director of Children’s Rights, Bill Van Esveld. He called for the repatriation of “children illegally abducted by Russian forces” to become an “international priority”.
100 children’s homes, which housed more than 32,000 children before 2022, are now in Russian-occupied territories, the 55-page report said.
The New York-based organization also finds that the war has highlighted the urgency of reforms in Ukraine. According to the report, more than 105,000 children were already living in homes there before the start of the war – the highest number in Europe after Russia. The number of children’s homes in Ukraine grew from 663 in 2015 to 727 in 2022.
As a result of the war, a further increase in children in care is to be expected, including children “whose parents were killed or injured or whose parents were mentally ill as a result of the war”. Other problems, according to the report, include psychological trauma suffered by displaced children and neglect and inadequate care due to understaffing.