Author:
Markiian Klymkovetskyi
More than a hundred Ukrainian children from various regions—including frontline and temporarily occupied territories—have united their voices in a joint Message to the United Nations. In it, they share how the war has shattered their right to education and describe the challenges they face today.
Yesterday, the Voices of Children Foundation, together with partners, delivered this Message to the UN open-ended intergovernmental working group, which is drafting a new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the right to education.
The aim of this document is to protect children’s right to education even in armed conflict zones—an urgent issue for millions of Ukrainian children who currently lack proper learning conditions.
Yesterday, the Voices of Children Foundation, together with partners, delivered this Message to the UN open-ended intergovernmental working group, which is drafting a new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the right to education.
The aim of this document is to protect children’s right to education even in armed conflict zones—an urgent issue for millions of Ukrainian children who currently lack proper learning conditions.
A total of 115 children aged 6 to 17 from across Ukraine—including those in frontline and temporarily occupied areas—took part in a survey organized by Voices of Children and its partners. Based on their stories, the Message was created and submitted to the United Nations.
Importantly, this Message was written by the children themselves—adults only helped design the questionnaire, collect the responses, and organize them.
In the document, the children speak about the systemic barriers that prevent them from receiving a full education: constant air raid alerts, the danger of shelling, destroyed schools, difficulties with online learning, as well as forced displacement and evacuation. Due to these factors, more than 3 million Ukrainian children are currently without access to adequate learning conditions.
Importantly, this Message was written by the children themselves—adults only helped design the questionnaire, collect the responses, and organize them.
In the document, the children speak about the systemic barriers that prevent them from receiving a full education: constant air raid alerts, the danger of shelling, destroyed schools, difficulties with online learning, as well as forced displacement and evacuation. Due to these factors, more than 3 million Ukrainian children are currently without access to adequate learning conditions.
This Message is not just a collection of facts—it is the voice of children living through the war consequences. They are calling on the international community to help rebuild schools, provide technical resources for remote learning, and support children who remain in active combat zones.
The UN working group receiving this document is developing a new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, aimed at addressing legal gaps in the protection of the right to education during armed conflicts. This is a crucial step toward ensuring that the right to learn remains inviolable—even under the most difficult circumstances.
We are grateful to the Regional Center for Human Rights and Kateryna Rashevska for the initiative, and to SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine and the Ukrainian Child Rights Network for their support and partnership in protecting childhood. Together, we are helping Ukrainian children be heard at the highest international level.
The UN working group receiving this document is developing a new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, aimed at addressing legal gaps in the protection of the right to education during armed conflicts. This is a crucial step toward ensuring that the right to learn remains inviolable—even under the most difficult circumstances.
We are grateful to the Regional Center for Human Rights and Kateryna Rashevska for the initiative, and to SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine and the Ukrainian Child Rights Network for their support and partnership in protecting childhood. Together, we are helping Ukrainian children be heard at the highest international level.
Share: