Parliament concerned about risk of illegal adoptions of refugee children

“In order to prevent child trafficking, illegal adoption and other abuses” in Ukraine, the European Parliament voted a resolution on Thursday by a large majority. MEPs called on Member States to take several measures to facilitate the integration of young Ukrainians in their host country. In particular, they demand that unaccompanied children “be immediately included in the monitoring systems of social services”, in order to guarantee their safety and allow possible “family reunification”.

For this, they recommend that child protection officers be deployed at borders, as well as family tracing services. They insist on the need to welcome unaccompanied children in a family environment rather than in institutions, to “promptly designate” a guardian for them, and to ensure that brothers and sisters “are not separated”.

The Parliament ​defends the principle of a rapid return of minors to schools “in order to limit school dropouts”, and invites the European Commission and the Member States to recruit “Ukrainian teachers” or “Ukrainian-speaking teachers” to speed up their integration. Of the four million people who have fled their homes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, nearly half are minors, according to UNICEF.