European Union · Khaosod English
Every child has the right to live safely at home
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Op-Ed by Her Excellency Mrs. Luisa Ragher, Ambassador of the European Union to the Kingdom of Thailand, Her Excellency Ms. Ping Kitnikone, Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of Thailand, and Mr. Viktor Semenov, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Thailand.
Key facts
- In times of conflict, and in times of peace, the rights of children must remain among any nation’s foremost responsibilities
- The unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children did not begin with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022
- This practice began years earlier, following the illegal occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014
- By 2015, there was evidence of Ukrainian children being taken from the non-government-controlled areas of Ukraine and deported across borders or transferred deeper into Russian-controlled areas.
- This is the purpose behind the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, launched by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in 2023, and the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, launched by Ukraine and Canada in February 2024
- The EU became a Coalition member in September 2025.
Summary
In times of conflict, and in times of peace, the rights of children must remain among any nation’s foremost responsibilities. Regardless of nationality, politics, or geography, every child has the same fundamental rights: to safety, to family, to education, and to a future free from fear. When children become victims of war, protecting them is not only a national responsibility, but also a shared duty of the entire international community.
The unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children did not begin with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. This practice began years earlier, following the illegal occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014. By 2015, there was evidence of Ukrainian children being taken from the non-government-controlled areas of Ukraine and deported across borders or transferred deeper into Russian-controlled areas.