Advancing accountability for crimes committed against Ukrainian children, upholding their rights and dignity, addressing long-lasting psychological trauma and physical health consequences they have suffered, are among the key themes of discussions held at the Council of Europe this week.
No single country or institution can stand up to the challenge alone
On 1 July, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir, Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the situation of children of Ukraine spoke about her activities to representatives of 46 member states at the Committee of Ministers' meeting.
The following day, on 2 July, together with Vanessa Frazier, Under-Secretary General and UN Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, and Carina Ödebrink, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Envoy on Russian Abductions and Deportations of Ukrainian Children, she participated in a tripartite exchange of views on strengthening co-ordinated responses to the ongoing challenges faced by war-affected Ukrainian children.
Supporting these children goes beyond addressing immediate risks - it requires sustained commitment to upholding their rights and dignity in the long term - and the time factor is essential.
"Time is not neutral. Every day a child remains away from home makes recovery more difficult and reintegration more painful. We must strengthen international coordination and turn our shared commitment into practical action," the Council of Europe Special Envoy stressed.
The tripartite exchange was part of the 10th Plenary meeting of the Council of Europe's Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) - a multilateral co-operation platform that brings together representatives from Council of Europe member states, international organisations, civil society, and independent experts, to provide practical support to all relevant actors working with the children of Ukraine.
Conflict-related sexual violence against children as a weapon: another horrific facet of Russia's war
Advancing accountability, protection and remedies for children of Ukraine affected by conflict-related sexual violence was the theme of a Special hearing held by the CGU on 3 July.
This heinous crime has become a devastating weapon of war during Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Children are at a heightened risk of long-lasting psychological trauma and physical health consequences. Stigma, limited access to frontline areas, and the lack of reparations in temporarily occupied territories exacerbate the situation, leaving countless cases underreported and insufficiently documented.
The goal of the hearing was to help advance accountability for conflict-related sexual violence affecting children, strengthen protection for victims and survivors, promote their empowerment, and ensure their access to comprehensive redress.
Opening the exchange, Marja Ruotanen, Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity of the Council of Europe, said: "While the impact of conflict-related sexual violence can be devastating, we must do our utmost to ensure that it does not define a child's future. With timely support, appropriate child-sensitive and victim/survivor-centred services as well as lasting commitment, recovery is possible."
Remedies should be child-sensitive, trauma-informed, and focus on child victims/survivors, the experts reiterated. These remedies are not merely procedural improvements, but fundamental prerequisites for justice and recovery. Participants emphasised the need for an age-appropriate, gender-sensitive, trauma-informed and comprehensive response by all actor in the field.
