The Special Envoy of the Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir, made the following statement today:
"Today, the 20th of November, marks World Children's Day.
As the war of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine is in its fourth year, we mark the plight of Ukraine's children, who are paying an intolerably high price in this brutal war.
Their lives have been upended, their family lives interrupted, their childhood erased, their futures endangered.
Tens of thousands of children have been stolen, brutally ripped from their families, their lives, their culture and language, many of their most basic rights being violated. And all children, wherever they are, are affected by this war in ways that create deep and potentially lasting scars.
The Council of Europe is at the forefront of efforts to support them, including through an effective accountability response.
The European Court of Human Rights, in a landmark judgment on 9 July of this year, held the Russian Federation in violation of the ECHR for the unlawful deportation of children to Russian and, in many cases, their illegal adoption there.
I also welcome the fact that the Register of Damage recently opened a claims category for the Forcible Transfer or Deportation of Children.
As the Secretary General's Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine, I am strongly committed to the safety and well-being of these war-affected children. My greatest hope is that one day soon they may live a life without war, a life without fear.
We must all join forces to ensure that the plight of children of Ukraine remains our top priority, that all unlawfully deported children are safely returned, that accountability for crimes against children is effectively ensured, and that the trauma experienced by all war-affected children is properly addressed.
May the day soon come where children play not in rubble and destruction, but in a place of peace, serenity and hope.
They deserve no less.
Together we can make a difference."
