“We insist that no child should be given up for adoption during a conflict, as the UN prioritizes the return of children to their families,” Afsan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, told a news conference. .
No Ukrainian children should be adopted in Russia, a UN official said in New York today, as thousands of children were reportedly transferred to the country after the Russian invasion on February 24.
“We continue to insist that no child should be given up for adoption during a conflict as the UN prioritizes the return of children to their families,” said Afsan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director for UNICEF. children) for Europe and Central Asia.
“Any decision to deport a child must be in the best interests of the child and any relocation must be voluntary,” said the family, a Unicef ​​official who returned from a trip to Ukraine.
We reaffirm, especially in the Russian Federation, that adoption should never take place during or immediately after a “humanitarian emergency”, because children who are subsequently separated from their families “can not be considered orphans” , he insisted.
As for the children “who were sent to Russia, we are working closely with mediators and networks to see how we can better document these cases,” Afsan Khan added, without being able to provide figures.
