According to the National Information Bureau of Ukraine for Prisoners of War, since February 24, 2022, more than 19,546 Ukrainian children have been reported as deported to the territory of the Russian Federation. This is just the number of children which has been explicitly established and verified, which is not possible regarding each case.
The Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights, Ms. Daria Gerasymchuk estimates the number of deported children as approximately 200-300 thousand.
By committing crimes against children in Ukraine, Russian occupants violated almost all fundamental human rights and special rights of the child prescribed by international law, such as:
- the right to life
- right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- right to education
- right to rest, leisure, play, recreation, and participation in cultural life and arts
- right to thought, conscience, and religion
- right to health, right to liberty and security etc.
These offences also contain the elements of war crimes and potentially may be found as genocide and crimes against humanity in case necessary components of such crimes are established.
There are, 3222* criminal proceedings opened in Ukraine regarding crimes committed by Russian invaders against children
Due to international classification, followed by Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators, they may be divided into categories :
- Killing and mutilation of children – 1127 criminal proceedings;
- Sexual violence against children – 13 criminal proceedings;
- Deportation and forcible transfer of children – 158 criminal proceedings;
- Abduction of children and unlawful deprivation of them of liberty – 40 criminal proceedings;
- Armed attacks on institutions and facilities designated for children – 1884 criminal proceedings
- Enlisting children and using them for military purposes – 3 criminal proceedings
As of the current date, 6 court sentences have been issued against 11 Russian servicemen.
*As of September 24, 2023, according to the Office of Prosecutor General in Ukraine