“Leaving No Child Behind”: Voices of Children Foundation Initiated Event at the Warsaw OSCE Conference

Author:

Mariia Kucova

The Voices of Children charitable foundation initiated an event titled “Leaving No Child Behind: The Impact of Russia's Aggressive War on the Children of Ukraine” during the Warsaw OSCE Human Dimension Conference. The discussion included representatives from Ukrainian and Canadian delegations at the OSCE, along with delegates from the United Kingdom, the United States, and the OSCE Group of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict.

During the meeting, participants explored the effects of the Russian war on Ukrainian children since 2014, potential strategies to protect minors, and the role of the international community in these efforts.

Key speakers included Iryna Suslova, a representative of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights; Olena Rozvadovska, head of Voices of Children; Kateryna Rashevska, a legal expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights; and Valeriia Kuberska, lawyer at the Center of Civil Education Almenda. The session was moderated by Véronique Pepin-Hallé, Permanent Representative of Canada to the OSCE.

How Russia is destroying Ukrainian children

According to the study “Protection of Childhood: Security Dimensions for Children and Adolescents”, the statistics are alarming:

approximately 2,000 children have died or been injured;
between 260,000 and 700,000 children have been deported to Russia, where efforts are made to change their national identity;
62% of mothers report that their children have witnessed or experienced “war-related events”.

To address these issues, Ukraine requires assistance from the international community. In February 2024, the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children was established. However, after Russian deportation, minors still face a long journey of rehabilitation and reintegration into Ukrainian society.

The top priority for providing psychological support to children who have returned from areas controlled by Russia is to reclaim their childhood — to give them back their childhood,

Olena Rozvadovska emphasized.

How Voices of Children is bringing back childhood to Ukrainian children

Since the onset of the full-scale war, the Voices of Children charitable foundation has provided various forms of assistance to 102,000 children and parents. Our organization primarily specializes in psychological support, both on-site at 12 regional centers in Ukraine and through an online helpline.

Among its programs is “Camp+”, a three-week rehabilitation initiative for families severely affected by the war. With expert help, participants learn to overcome psychological trauma and build emotional resilience.

Since June 2023, Voices of Children psychologists have been supporting children returned from Russian-controlled areas during interviews with law enforcement agencies and providing ongoing support at the Foundation's regional centers. Drawing from this experience, they have developed a Concept, comprehensive approach for working with children who were deported or forcefully moved to Russia.

This work contributed to a broader research, “(Non)Return of Children: Ukraine In The Face Of the Greatest Сhallenge Since the Independence”, created in partnership with the NGOs: Ukrainian Child Rights Network and the Regional Center for Human Rights.

For almost a decade, I have been dedicated to protecting and supporting Ukraine's children of war. Every day, I see families torn apart, kids who have lost homes and loved ones, children hurt by landmines and shelling, and so many unable to go to school because of military actions and destroyed classrooms. Through it all, there is a constant, pressing need for child psychologists,

Olena Rozvadovska reflected