The task of the European Union is to protect children who are fleeing the war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine and to keep them from becoming the object of human trafficking.
As Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Szuica said on Tuesday in Strasbourg, speaking at the plenary session of the European Parliament, about 2.5 million children in Ukraine were forced to leave their homes, about 2 million children crossed the border with the EU, many of them arrived without parents. “Our priority is to urgently respond to their needs … Legal guardians must be appointed as soon as possible, potential foster families confirmed, so that children do not end up in homes where violence is used,” she said.
Schuitz called education a key task. “Member States help children go to school to return to normal life, the integration system, together with social, psychological assistance, cultural and sports activities, will help overcome trauma, cultural and language barriers,” the Vice President of the European Commission detailed.
Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, also said that many of these children face a new danger – the danger of human trafficking. “Lithuanian authorities are investigating the possible trafficking of 43 children for adoption. There are no confirmed cases yet, but we know from bitter experience that the danger is real. Children are at the very top of our agenda. Our goal is to protect children from the war zone by providing them with safe homes,” the Commissioner said.
According to her, working on the prevention of human trafficking, starting with crossing the EU border, where 282 Frontex employees help identify people who are at risk of trafficking, and Europol collects data, coordinates police cooperation, monitors the online activities of potential traffickers. “Europol has set up a dedicated anti-trafficking unit, working with the police in Ukraine and the EU countries bordering Ukraine. Many Member States have been warned of the danger. Our priority right now is registration, registration, registration. We need to know where these children are – all 2 million. Not a single child can be lost,” Johansson stressed.
“Our main challenge is still before us – how long this war will continue, there will always be a risk for children. Imagine that you are a Ukrainian mother with three children and have to make a very difficult decision – stay here with the children in danger or send them with your friend who will soon go with his two children on a potentially also dangerous journey to the EU and know that there is a risk that this may be the last time you see your children. Many parents have been forced to make this difficult decision. And they want us to keep their children safe. They are counting on us. Let’s show that they can rely on us,” she concluded her speech.
