Bring Kids Back UA

Bring Kids Back UA is a Ukrainian humanitarian program established at the initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2023. It unites the efforts of all authorities of Ukraine, other states, international and non-governmental organisations to return all Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The programme envisages the reintegration of deported children, their socialisation, the development of family-based forms of upbringing, as well as the recording of crimes and bringing Russia to justice for these crimes, in particular at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The Bring Kids Back UA Action Plan is aimed at implementing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula: point 4 "Release of all prisoners and deportees". The implementation of the Action Plan is coordinated by the Coordination Council for Child Protection and Safety under the President of Ukraine, chaired by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak.

History


Daria Zarivna, Communications Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and Chief Operating Officer of Bring Kids Back UA, first spoke about the programme on 15 May 2023. She emphasised that a new movement had been created in Ukraine — "a new foundation, a new Think called Bring Kids Back UA". During her speech at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2023 in the Danish capital, Zarivna invited everyone to join this movement and help bring thousands of Ukrainian children back home.

On 31 May 2023, on the eve of International Children's Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opened the Child Protection Centre and presented the Bring Kids Back UA plan. The event was also attended by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, Advisor to the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights and Child Rehabilitation Daria Gerasymchuk, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, and Head of the Coordination Centre for the Development of Family Education and Child Care Iryna Tuliakova.

In September 2023, the information campaign "If You Know, Tell!" was launched.

On 16 October, four children aged 2 to 17, previously deported by Russia, were returned to Ukraine as part of the Bring Kids Back UA program, according to the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak. This was made possible through negotiations mediated by Qatar.

On 19 October 2023, the Bring Kids Back UA information platform was launched to inform the international community about the deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia.

Action plan
The Bring Kids Back UA Action Plan consists of seven key blocks that provide for specific actions and measures:


 * return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia (involves the involvement of UN agencies, other international organisations, governments, and the creation of a high-level International Working Group Bring Kids Back UA)
 * development of family-based forms of education;
 * reintegration of children returned from the Russian Federation, organisation of their socialisation and return, and educational initiatives;
 * establishment of the Child Rights Protection Centre, which was opened by the President on 30 May 2023;
 * recording crimes and bringing Russia to justice;
 * inter-parliamentary cooperation;
 * communication and public events.

Each block is assigned a responsible government agency. The implementation of the Bring Kids Back UA Action Plan will be coordinated by the Coordination Council on Child Protection and Safety under the President of Ukraine, headed by the Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak.

International expert group
As part of the Bring Kids Back UA action plan, an International Expert Group has been formed, consisting of experts with deep knowledge of children's rights issues.

The group is co-chaired by the Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, a British lawyer who was named one of the 100 Women Changing the World by the BBC in 2021.

The group focuses on developing expert opinions and recommendations on effective mechanisms for the return of children to Ukraine, as well as improving existing international legal mechanisms to prevent similar situations of child rights violations around the world.

Child protection centre
On 31 May 2023, the Child Protection Centre was opened. This is an interagency centre for children who have been victims of or witnessed crimes, where relevant specialists can:
 * receive information from children and their families;
 * conduct a medical examination, including for forensic purposes;
 * provide the necessary therapeutic assistance.

The Centre includes a children's leisure area and a room where the centre's specialists work according to the Barnahus model.

International reactions


During the third meeting of national security and foreign policy advisers in Malta, the Canadian delegation proposed to create an international coalition of countries to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children forcibly removed by Russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This initiative will be a continuation of the Bring Kids Back UA program.



On 1 June 2023, on International Children's Day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Russia to stop deporting Ukrainian children and supported the Bring Kids Back UA program.



On 7 September 2023, the German Bundestag hosted a panel discussion in support of the Bring Kids Back UA programme, dedicated to deepening cooperation between Ukraine and Germany to bring home Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. The event was organised by a group of German MPs with the assistance of the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany and the German-Ukrainian Parliamentary Group.



Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Hanke Bruins Slot announced the Netherlands' intention to support Ukraine in the Bring Kids Back UA project to reunite families through DNA. By using rapid DNA tests, the Netherlands aims to help Ukraine create a DNA database that will allow for the rapid identification of children abducted by Russia and facilitate their speedy return to their families.



Qatar took part in the Bring Kids Back UA programme at the request of the Ukrainian government and played a significant role in large-scale negotiations that lasted several months. In particular, it helped to return children aged 2 to 17 to Ukraine who had been illegally deported by citizens of the aggressor country. The representative of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lolwah Al-Khater, expressed her satisfaction with the good news of the reunification of children with their families in Ukraine, which was achieved through Qatar's mediation efforts.