Ukrainian World Congress marks World Children’s Day, calls for immediate return of Ukrainian children

The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) joins the global observance of World Children’s Day on Nov. 20, a day that reminds the world each year of every child’s sacred right to life, safety, education, development, and a happy future.

These rights were enshrined in the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a historic milestone that represents justice, humanity, and hope for generations to come.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at least 688 children have been killed, 2,253 injured, and nearly 20,000 have been forcibly abducted without parental consent, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Children are not just our future. They are our most precious treasure, a source of light and strength, and a symbol of our responsibility. Every child’s smile, every achievement, and every dream is part of a nation. It is its soul and its destiny. When children’s rights are violated, the impact goes far beyond the individual child or family; it touches an entire people, its culture, its memory, and its path through history.

Today, Ukrainian children face a brutal attack on their identity.

Russia, through deportations and forced changes to their lives, commits crimes against humanity with elements of genocide. This is not merely a violation of international law, it is a deliberate attempt to destroy the Ukrainian nation by targeting its most precious asset: its children, the heart and future of Ukraine.

The UWC demands the immediate repatriation of every child to their homeland. No state or aggressor has the right to steal childhoods, destroy lives, or deny a people their future. Each day of separation is a wound for families and a deep, invisible scar on the nation. These children must come home — to their parents, their land, and their people — without delay.

The international community must act decisively. Protecting children’s rights is the duty of anyone who values humanity, justice, and dignity. The world cannot remain silent while childhoods are stolen, lives destroyed, and a nation is erased from its own history.

The Ukrainian World Congress emphasizes that Ukraine’s future lives in its children, and their voices must be heard across the globe. Protect the children and protect the nation.