Attachments
Executive summary
As a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24th of February 2022, the number of children reported missing in Ukraine, as well as in countries of displacement, has significantly increased.
Missing Children Europe’s member in Ukraine, NGO Magnolia received over 2900 cases of missing children (as opposed to the 300 on average). 42 of these cases were submitted as evidence of the war crimes to the Prosecutor’s Office, including 27 cases of suspected forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation and Russian occupied territories. When it comes to a cross border dimension, in the context of the situation in Ukraine, Missing Children Europe received 47 cases involving 55 children that were reported missing.
This report displays the challenges and issues that have surfaced during the coordination of cases and communication between member organisations and the hotlines.
To ensure adequate protection of children (at risk of) going missing in the context of the war in Ukraine, MCE calls on the all the relevant national and international actors to:
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improve registration, information management and referral mechanisms, and monitoring of children entering the EU from Ukraine;
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ensure respect and fulfilment of the provisions set out in the Fourth Geneva Convention;
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contribute to the facilitation of the mechanisms for determining the deported children’s whereabouts;
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assist in family tracing and ensure safe process of family reunification;
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increase the capacity of the support systems for families whose children have gone missing, including through the adequate funding mechanisms for the 116000 hotline services with emphasis on Ukraine’s neighbouring countries.