WCC gravely concerned over report showing Russia has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children

23 May 2022, Ukrainian children in Romashka sports complex, Zolotaya Kosa, SW Russia near border with Ukraine. There are several hundred children there mostly taken from orphanages

Source: WCC

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev Prof Dr Jerry Pillay has expressed grave concern over the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine regarding the deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.

"Such actions deprive children of their families, language, culture, and homeland, inflicting deep psychological and spiritual harm," said Pillay. "These actions are a shocking violation of the God-given dignity of every child and of the sanctity of family bonds."

Pillay further emphasized that the deliberate removal and relocation of children for political or ideological purposes is fundamentally incompatible with international law, morality, and Christian values. "As the WCC has consistently affirmed, armed aggression and the suffering it inflicts-especially upon children-are fundamentally incompatible with God's will for humanity," he said. "The WCC expresses its profound solidarity with all affected children and their families. We call on the authorities of the Russian Federation to provide the transparency and accountability that a report of this seriousness demands, putting the best interests of each child first."

According to the report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to the UN Human Rights Council, thousands of children have been taken from Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation, many removed from institutions and families without the consent required by international humanitarian law and still not returned years later.

Instead of facilitating reunification, Russian authorities are reported to have prioritized the long-term placement of these children within the Russian Federation, including through changes of citizenship and adoption or foster care. "Such actions deprive children of their families, language, culture, and homeland, inflicting deep psychological and spiritual harm", said WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay.

LINKS

WCC statement on the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine regarding the deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children

Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to the UN Human Rights Council