Without Parents During the War: What is the Situation with Orphans in Ukraine?

Author:

Mariia Kucova

The war in Ukraine has worsened the situation of orphans and children deprived of parental care and increased their number. This category of children is the most vulnerable, so they are the most often deported by the Russian military occupiers.

Daria Kasianova, head of the board of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network and national director of program development for SOS Children's Villages Ukraine, believes that the full extent of the problem will only become clear in the post-war period. She was the latest guest on the "Voice's Podcast" where she discussed the number of orphans in Ukraine, the adoption situation, and the challenges of returning deported children.

The Number of Orphans and Children Deprived of Parental Care in Ukraine

The total number of orphans and children deprived of parental care in Ukraine is around 70,000. Over 13,000 children have lost parental care due to the war, with 1,759 of them officially recognized as orphans.

I'm not sure that these figures are accurate because many areas have been military occupied, hindering our ability to access and gather information about them. Accordingly, we do not know if those children are there, what happened to them, and it is impossible to count them at all,
noted Daria.

Another issue is that many children are effectively deprived of parental care but lack the appropriate legal status. For instance, parents need only visit their child in an institutional facility, once every six months, to maintain their parental rights. Unfortunately, state services often prioritize parents over the best interests of the child.

Sometimes, parents are compelled to place their children in institutional care due to challenging life circumstances. For example, if both parents are serving in the military and have no family nearby to assist, or if a single mother has no one to care for her children while she is employed, institutional care may be the only option.

This “solution” was inherited from the Soviet Union and fails to address the underlying issue. Children should thrive in a familial setting with dedicated adults, but not in a collective environment devoid of personal space and belongings.

Adoption in Ukraine: An Overview

Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, adoption rates in 2023 have returned to pre-invasion levels, with 927 children adopted.

There are many people who want to adopt [children]. But just like before the large-scale invasion, people prefer to adopt either young children or those whose parents have died — ideally while defending Ukraine,
stated Daria.

Unfortunately, there persists a stigma associated with teenagers and children from troubled families, discouraging individuals from pursuing foster care or adoption.

International adoption is currently suspended and will resume three months after the end of the war. In the meantime, only Ukrainians living in safer areas within Ukraine can adopt children. And just like before, they will need to complete the adoption training program.

I believe that children should still be placed in Ukrainian families as a priority. What is happening in Ukraine is truly for the sake of our children,
emphasized Daria.

Unfortunately, adopted children can be rejected. Even before the large-scale invasion, such cases accounted for approximately 20–25%. It has happened that people adopt a young child, only to return them when they become teenagers.

To avoid these kinds of heartbreaks, hopeful adoptive parents go through extensive training to prepare them for the challenges ahead. A key part of this is making it clear they are not welcoming a toy, but a real person, often deeply hurt and carrying a heavy emotional burden.

The toughest challenge comes first: filling the emotional void the child carries. Only then can a genuine and enduring relationship start to form,
emphasizes Daria.

Forms of Placement for Orphans in Ukraine

In Ukraine, several options exist for placing orphaned or abandoned children:

patronage;
guardianship and care;
adoption;
foster care;
family-type children's home.

Patronage — refers to the temporary placement of a child in the care of professional foster parents. According to the legislation, a child can stay in patronage for a period ranging from 3 to 9 months.

The intention behind this arrangement is to eventually reintegrate the child into their original family. However, when we examine the statistics, unfortunately, many children do end up in foster families,
noted Daria.

Guardianship and Custody — refer to placing a child with relatives or other individuals who are willing to fulfill the corresponding responsibilities. This is precisely what happened with Ol h a Tymchenko and Valeriia.

This is the simplest and most common form of family upbringing in Ukraine. Before the large-scale invasion, there were approximately 50,000 families raising children under guardianship, and today that number stands at 40,000.

Adoption is like becoming a child's real parent. This is a big decision and takes a while to get everything sorted out.

Foster care is where a trained family cares for one to four kids who do not have parents or whose parents cannot take care of them at the moment.

Family-type orphanages function like large families with professional caregivers. They care for five to ten children, which may include their biological kids, if they have any.

Deported Ukrainian Children: The Challenge of Return and Reintegration

Official figures indicate that Russia has deported 19,546 Ukrainian children, but the actual number could be significantly higher. Due to the lack of a clear legal mechanism in Ukraine for returning these children, the process is dragging on, and only around 400 children have been successfully brought back so far. The situation is further complicated by the fact that many of the deported children are orphans or deprived of parental care, leaving them without a place to return to.

The civil society sector has actively engaged in the efforts to return deported Ukrainian children. Organizations such as SOS Children's Villages Ukraine and the Ukrainian Child Rights Network have played a crucial role, facilitating the return of 134 children, with 23 more awaiting their turn.

Returning deported children is challenging, but rehabilitating and reintegrating them is even more difficult, as it is a new experience for Ukraine. The Charitable Foundation “Voices of Children” has been working in this direction for over six months in collaboration with the Office of the Ombudsman (Ukraine). Efforts are underway to create a Rehabilitation Center that will aid in the recovery of children, particularly those returned from Russian deportation.