Author:
Anastasia Poleshko
The russians are purposefully attacking the identity of children, forcing them to doubt their own origin, name, and even the truth.
When there’s an outside impact on a child’s principles, black is called white, and the closest people are unjustly accused of crimes and lies, this is an extremely difficult test. Natalia Masiak, the head of the Psychological Expertise Center of the Voices of Children Fund, emphasized this during her speech at one of the thematic panels of the international forum “Three Years, Many Destinies: Protecting Ukraine and the Future of Ukrainian Children.”
The event was held at the Ukrainian Center (Ukrainos Centras) in Vilnius. It was dedicated to the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Representatives of the Ukrainian and Lithuanian governments, international organizations, human rights activists, psychologists, and experts were present. Among the invitees were Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska, and Ukrainian Ambassador to Lithuania Olha Nikitchenko.
As Natalia Masiak stated, the gross violation of the rights and freedoms of defenseless children demonstrates the cruelty and baseness of Russians, deprived of humanity and honor.
As Natalia Masiak stated, the gross violation of the rights and freedoms of defenseless children demonstrates the cruelty and baseness of Russians, deprived of humanity and honor.
We know of numerous horrific cases where the russian propaganda machine imposed its narratives, often by force. Children were forced to learn the russian anthem, switch to russian, and write letters of gratitude to russian soldiers. One of the released children told how he and other children were forced to draw pictures for russian soldiers, although his last memory was of how these same soldiers kidnapped his father, held him captive, and then took him away,
Experts discussed the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to russia, as well as how to return and reintegrate them, and the role of the international community in this process. The forum included two discussion panels. The first focused on the scale of deportation and its impact on the psyche of children. The second focused on the rehabilitation of deportees and the role of states and organizations in helping Ukraine.
Natalia Masiak emphasized that every child should be returned home. It is equally important to punish those involved in these crimes.
Protecting the most vulnerable category of the population – our children – is the direct duty of every adult. It depends on us whether children who have experienced such trials will be able to believe in goodness and justice again and whether they will become adults in the future who will have the right values in life,
Share: