Every Child Has the Right to Live Safely at Home

Every Child Has the Right to Live Safely at Home

Op-ed by the Canadian, European Union and Ukrainian Ambassadors

In times of conflict, but also in times of peace, the rights of children must remain any nation's foremost concern. 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. These principles are embedded in international law and shared moral traditions across cultures. When children become victims of war, protecting them is not only a national responsibility, but also the duty of the entire international community.

For Ukraine, this principle has become painfully real.

What began as a worrying pattern has since grown into a large-scale and systematic problem. Today, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has officially confirmed more than 20,000 cases of deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. For all those kids, the disruption has meant not only displacement, but the loss of identity, language, and connection to home. Their situation reminds us that protecting children in conflict is not an abstract principle, it is a human responsibility that requires sustained international cooperation.

Ukrainian authorities and civil society organisations working on these cases also face enormous challenges in tracing where children have been taken. Russia has not provided comprehensive information about the number of children transferred or their locations, making identifying and ultimately returning those children extremely difficult. Even when children are located, bringing them home can be a long and complex process.

This is why international cooperation is essential. No country facing such a challenge could address it alone.

This is the purpose behind President Zelenskyy's Bring Kids Back UA initiative and the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children officially launched in Kyiv, Ukraine on 2 February 2024. Today the Coalition brings together 47 governments and partners committed to ensuring children who have been deported and forcibly transferred by Russia during the war can safely return home and rebuild their lives. Its focus is humanitarian: protecting children's rights and ensuring international standards safeguarding children are upheld.

Through sustained diplomatic, humanitarian, legal efforts and international cooperation, to date, more than 2,120 Ukrainian children have been returned and supported through rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. For every child, returning home represents the restoration of something irreplaceable - the embrace of family, the familiarity of language and culture, and the chance to grow up in the place where they belong.

But these are only some of the stories. Hundreds of thousands of children remain under Russian control - deported or trapped in the temporarily occupied territories. Addressing this challenge requires a truly global response. Protecting children in conflict is not the responsibility of one actor alone; it is a shared duty rooted in universal human values.

For this reason, the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children invites countries around the world to participate or observe. The Coalition also recognises that many nations may bring invaluable experience on this issue. From peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts to post-conflict child protection and reintegration programmes, many countries have demonstrated leadership in protecting vulnerable children and rebuilding communities.

The Coalition is not only a platform for supporting the return of Ukrainian children. It is also a space for exchanging insights and strengthening global approaches to child protection in conflict. Countries that join the Coalition can share their perspectives and lessons learned from their own experiences. While the conflict in Ukraine is our starting point, the goal is broader: we hope to ultimately shape international practices that may protect children everywhere.

Participation also creates opportunities to work together on legal and institutional frameworks that safeguard children. Across the world, governments have developed innovative approaches to their return, psychological rehabilitation, and preservation of children's cultural identity following displacement. By bringing these experiences together, the Coalition aims to strengthen international norms and practical mechanisms that help ensure children's rights are respected in every conflict.

The Coalition continues to expand this collaboration. The next High-Level Meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children - co-hosted by the EU, Ukraine and Canada - will take place on 11 May in Brussels, bringing partners together to review our progress and identify further practical steps to help return children to their homes and families.

Ultimately, protecting children should never be seen as a geopolitical issue. It is a humanitarian imperative grounded in the recognition that children deserve safety, dignity, and care. Returning separated children is not only about addressing the consequences of today's war, but also about reinforcing a global commitment to protect future generations from similar harm.

The International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children represents a meaningful step toward that goal. By working together, across regions, cultures, and political perspectives, we can restore childhoods disrupted by conflict and strengthen the global framework that protects children everywhere.

We invite Viet Nam to join this effort. This is very much in line with Viet Nam's government pledge for the election to the Human Rights Council in 2025.

Your voice, experience, and leadership are essential in ensuring the protection of children remains a universal priority. Because when it comes to the rights and dignity of children, our shared humanity must always come first.

Jim Nickel, Ambassador of Canada
Julien Guerrier, Ambassador of the EU
Oleksandr Gaman, Ambassador of Ukraine