There are over seven thousand orphans in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine – human rights activists

This happened because of the actions of occupiers. This was stated by Vira Yastrebova, attorney, director of the NGO “Shidna Pravosazahisna Grupa” (Eastern Human Rights Group), at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine – Odesa.

She noted that before the full-scale invasion, the occupiers had taken away all children from orphanages on the territories occupied before 24.02.2022.

“So how did over 7 thousand ‘orphans’ appear? There are three reasons for this. The first is the forced mobilization of men, many families have been left without men, and the occupiers take children from such families. Secondly, it is the regressive activities of “commissions for the observance of the rights of children” in the occupied territory, which take children away through court decisions. Thirdly, many families are left without means of subsistence, salaries are not paid, and the occupiers take children from such families,” – the human rights activist said.

She also added that the positions of “children’s ombudsmen” are being created in the occupied territories of Ukraine, and in September 2023, the occupiers want to connect the “bank of orphans” created in Luhansk to the all-Russian federal “database of orphans”.

“They want to change the technology of deporting children. They want the citizens of the aggressor country to come to the occupied territories and take the children themselves, having previously looked up their data in the federal database, like in a catalog,” – Yastrebova said.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news